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CM to take call on ministerial berth for me: MK Stalin's son Udhaynidhi
The chorus of Udhaynidhi’s supporters in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been growing louder for him to be given a portfolio.
Amidst reports that he is likely to get a ministerial berth during the cabinet reshuffle, first-time MLA Udhaynidhi Stalin said a final decision would be taken by the chief minister and his father, M K Stalin.
The chorus of Udhaynidhi’s supporters in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been growing louder for him to be given a portfolio.
“The chief minister will decide,” Udhaynidhi said after distributing relief to people affected by cyclone Madnous in Chennai.
He neither denied nor accepted questions on his elevation doing the rounds.
For the past few months, Udhaynidhi has been inaugurating state government projects in Chennai, though he doesn’t hold any position in the Tamil Nadu government.
In November, he inaugurated a public announcement system inside city buses in the presence of transport minister SS Sivasankar and minister for Hindu religious and charitable endowments Sekar Babu. He also inaugurated a wooden ramp constructed for people with disabilities on the Marina beach with Chennai’s mayor R Priya in attendance.
The 46-year-old was re-elected as the party’s youth wing leader in November.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections offered the space for Udhaynidhi to enter the political arena by campaigning for the coalition across the state.
During this time, he was also the managing director of the family-owned Murasoli Trust, which publishes the party mouthpiece Murasoli launched by the late M Karunanidhi. Soon after the DMK swept the polls, winning 38 out of 39 parliamentary seats in May 2019, Udhaynidhi’s elevation to the party was swift.
He was made DMK’s youth wing secretary in July 2019. In the May 2021 assembly elections, he contested for the first time at the family’s borough- Chepauk-Tirunelveli and won.
“That was a test to see his capabilities, and he’s performing well. So he may be given more responsibilities,” said a senior DMK leader. “He has reinvigorated the youth wing, which is why he got the post again.”
When Tamil Nadu organised the 44th International Chess Olympiad in July, Udhaynidhi was recognised for organising the ceremonies. It was significant as there have been reports since then that Udhaynidhi may get the sports portfolio though no official communication has been released.
Sports minister Siva M Meyyanathan, during the closing ceremony in August, described Udhayanidhi as “ilam suriyan” (meaning young sun). “From the opening till the closing ceremony, he was there throughout,” he had said.
