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Actor-politician Vijayakanth to lead his party
Vijayakanth has been inactive in recent years and after a month-long stay at the hospital, he made a public appearance for the first time on Thursday
Chennai
Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) on Thursday elected his wife, Premalatha, as the party’s general secretary, formalising her role as the leader of the party, which she has been helming it in recent years given her husband and party founder’s ill health.
Vijayakanth ,71, was the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu in 2011 but his party has seen a steep fall in the subsequent years. He has been inactive in recent years and after a month-long stay at the hospital, he made a public appearance for the first time on Thursday at the party’s general council meeting held on the outskirts of Chennai.
Premalatha, who so far served the party as the treasurer, was campaigning and negotiating seat sharing during elections. Her elevation to the top post of DMDK is being seen as the party preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“DMDK attained strength through the hard work of all the party workers. My aim as a general secretary of the party is to repeat what we achieved in 2011,” she said at the meeting.
The DMDK left the AIADMK-led NDA alliance ahead of the 2021 assembly elections unhappy over seat sharing. In September the AIADMK broke away from the BJP. The DMDK is yet to take a call on their alliance.
Vijayakanth launched DMDK in 2005 positioning himself as an alternative to the DMK and AIADMK. However, he joined hands with J Jayalalithaa for the 2011 elections. His party won 29 of the 41 seats it contested, becoming the second largest party after the AIADMK, which formed the government.
However, since then, the DMDK has been unable to make a mark in electoral politics. Vijayakanth parted ways with Jayalalithaa and for the 2016 assembly polls, he joined hands with the Left and smaller parties but drew a blank. In 2019, it joined the National Democratic Alliance for the Lok Sabha polls.
