Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, widely known as "captain" among his followers for his role in the movie Captain Prabhakaran, is moving away from active politics if his wife Premalatha taking over charge as party general secretary is any indication.
His party, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), has unanimously elected Premalatha to the post of party general secretary at a meeting held in Chennai on December 14, 2023. The actor was very much on the dais during the elevation of his wife. He was seen seated and lost when his wife sought his blessings in the presence of party supporters after taking charge as general secretary.
The Vijayakanth one saw on the dais was a pale shadow of his former self. The videos available on social media show the actor-turned-politician seated on a chair, almost immobile, and quite apparently oblivious of what is happening all around him. His close associates could be seen forcefully moving his hand, which appears harsh, to acknowledge the cheers of the party supporters.
It could be stated that the DMDK, founded by Vijayakanth, on September 14, 2005, is, like its leader, ailing.
DMDK made its electoral debut in the 2006 assembly elections and though Vijayakanth was the sole winner from the Virudachalam constituency, the party put up a decent fight cutting into the vote share of both the DMK and the AIADMK.
In 2011, DMDK allied with the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK and emerged as the second-largest party by winning 29 seats, more than the 23 seats won by the DMK. This time, Vijayakanth won from Rishivandhiyam constituency. He became the leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly. It was what they call a "meteoric" rise. However, the alliance with AIADMK did not last long.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, DMDK allied with the BJP and thereby started a downward slide for Vijayakanth from which he couldn't recover.
Currently, DMDK looks emaciated and ailing. As Premalatha comes out of the shadow of her husband-- with so far only rhetoric as her mainstay and nothing much to show in terms of leadership quality or decision-making-- will she be able to steer the party to its normal self shortly remains a million-dollar question.