CHENNAI: It is official now. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, will be sworn in as a Minister on Wednesday (December 14).
He is now the DMK youth wing secretary and an MLA representing the Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly constituency. He will be yet another actor-turned-politician to become Minister. Already, he is projected as the heir apparent in the party and government.
An official release from the Raj Bhavan said, "The Chief Minister has recommended to the Governor to induct Udhayanidhi Stalin, MLA from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency in the Council of Ministers. The Governor has approved the recommendation. The swearing-in-ceremony will be held on December 14 at 9.30 a.m at Durbar hall."
Official sources declined to confirm the portfolio to be allocated to Udhyanidhi Stalin though there are speculations that he might be given Youth Welfare and Sports Development besides special programme implementation or rural development. The sources also said the reshuffle of portfolios of a few Ministers might also be announced on Wednesday. Already, a chamber for Udhayanidhi Stalin has been readied on the second floor of the main building of the State secretariat.
Udhayanidhi has been the youth wing secretary of the DMK since 2019, and recently, he was re-appointed to the post after the organisational elections of the DMK were over. His father and DMK president Stalin held this post for a long time between 1982 to 2017.
During the 2021 Assembly elections, Udhayanidhi was a star campaigner for the DMK, and his extempore speeches at public meetings and canvassing votes were received well among the people. Notably, his satirical attack on the BJP-led Union government for failing to construct the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai by holding a piece of brick made a significant impact on the campaign.
Before entering politics, Udhayanidhi has been a successful actor in Kollywood. He has acted as a hero in movies Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal, Manithan, Nimir, Kanne Kalaimaane, Nenjukku Needhi and Kalaga Thalaivan. Kalaga Thalaivan was his latest movie. Besides, Udhayanidhi Stalin has produced several Tamil movies, including Ponniyin Selvan I. He is expected to produce Kamal Hassan's Indian-2. Besides, he has undertaken the distribution of many important movies.
Udhayanidhi Stalin is assuming office amidst strong criticisms about 'dynastic politics' being promoted in the DMK. His immediate task would be to prove his mettle as an able Minister in the coming days to undo the image that he is being promoted to top posts in a short span of a period after entering politics. His father, Stalin, worked for the party for many decades, and his rise in political career was slow and steady. Stalin served as Mayor, later Local Administration Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Leader of the Opposition. In the party, he led the youth wing, became deputy general secretary, treasurer, executive president and, at last, the president of the DMK.