CHENNAI: Following the DMK's defeat in the Assembly elections, Chief Minister MK Stalin has resigned from office and communicated his decision to Governor Rajendra Arlekar.
As a matter of established constitutional practice, the Governor is expected to request Stalin to continue as Chief Minister in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.
The Governor, who is now in Thiruvananthapuram, has reviewed the developments in Kerala and is expected to respond to Stalin's letter soon.
DMK was defeated in the April 23 Assembly polls by Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
DMK has won 59 seats in the 234-member strong TN Assembly and has emerged as the principal opposition party.
The AIADMK won 47 seats. TVK has won 108 seats and it is the single largest party.
The DMK president thanked voters who backed the party-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the assembly election, saying each vote cast for the alliance was "priceless trust" he held close.
In a statement on Tuesday, Stalin said the SPA had so far received 1.54 crore votes.
“The party that won more seats received only 17.43 lakh more votes than us. The vote share difference between them and us is just 3.52 per cent. As far as I am concerned, I consider the trust the people of Tamil Nadu have placed in us as strong,” he said, without naming the TVK.
Stalin called on all winning DMK candidates to immediately reach out to voters and personally express gratitude.
“In a democracy, the people are the ones deserving of our respect. We run the party for them. We function in politics for them,” he said.
Calling the mandate a result of cadre dedication, he said the 1.54 crore votes were the “harvest” of sustained grassroots effort. “What can I offer in return for your hard work?” he asked, adding that he would continue to serve as the “foremost worker” of the party.
Stalin asserted that whether in power or in opposition, the DMK’s role remains unchanged: to serve the people. “If we are in government, we will implement welfare schemes. If we are in opposition, we will fight for people’s demands,” he said, adding that the party would function as a strong opposition going forward.
Reaffirming the DMK’s ideological roots, he said the party would continue to uphold the principles of the Dravidian movement, including the protection of identity, language and regional rights. “I will not leave anyone behind in this journey,” Stalin said, expressing confidence that the party would return to power.
