Disregarding the Opposition’s criticism of dynastic politics and nepotism, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin got his son and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi elevated as the deputy chief minister of the state, making it clear that he is the heir apparent in the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Since Udhayanidhi is already a minister, he is not required to take the oath of office but only re-designated by the Governor as deputy chief minister. Though not a constitutional office, this new role makes him the number two in the government.

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As expected, the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday witnessed the return of V Senthil Balaji, who is on bail in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act linked to the 2011 cash-for-job scam. Interestingly, he has been entrusted with the Electricity, Prohibition, and Excise portfolios, held by him earlier.

Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Senthil Balaji and three others – R Rajendran, Govi Chezhiyan, and SM Nasar. While Nasar makes a re-entry, the other two are first-timers. At the group photo session after the swearing-in, Stalin and Udhayanidhi were seated next to the governor on the left and right, indicating his primacy in the party and government.

On his new role, Udhayanidhi said it is a responsibility. “It is not just an office, but a great responsibility. I welcome any criticism but, my performance will be my response to that,” he told the media after paying the ritual floral tributes at the memorials of Anna (DMK founder CN Annadurai) and his grandfather and late patriarch M Karunanidhi.

He also paid tributes to the Dravidian icon and rationalist reformer ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy at his statue, at the headquarters of Dravidar Kazhagam, the ideological mentor of the DMK.

A third generation leader pushed into politics from filmdom, 46-year-old Udhayanidhi’s rise has been meteoric. He was elected from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency in Chennai in the 2021 assembly elections and inducted into the ministry in 2022 December. Now, he is the third deputy chief minister of the state and the previous ones were MK Stalin under Karunanidhi and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, under Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Stalin, elected to the DMK general council in 1973, got the opportunity to contest elections in 1984 which he lost from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai. In 1996, he was elected mayor of Chennai and later became a minister in 2006.

On the other hand, Udhayanidhi was drawn towards Kollywood and under his production house, Red Giant, in 2008 bankrolled his first movie ‘Kuruvi’ in which actor Vijay played the lead. Later, he too took to acting in 2012 but quit with ‘Mamannan’ (Emperor) in 2023 soon after becoming a minister. In that movie, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mari Selvaraj, he played the lead as a Dalit youth taking on dominant caste oppression.

Even though he was into films, Udhayanidhi was entrusted with the task of managing the party daily, ‘Murasoli’, as its managing director. “Dictated by his grandfather Karunanidhi, he would write the patriarch’s letter to cadre and other write-ups, thereby acquiring proficiency in flawless Tamil,” said a source close to him. Then, pushed by the family and a section of the party he was made the DMK’s Youth Wing Secretary in 2019.

Though party leaders right from Kanimozhi MP and veteran Duraimurugan, senior most cabinet minister, have welcomed his elevation, the Opposition is quick to deride the move as dynastic politics. “Wither democracy when the father is the chief minister and his son is the deputy CM. Where is Tamil Nadu heading to? This is like a monarchy. Many leaders senior to him and who have given their sweat and blood for the party, have been overlooked,” was the reaction of former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Questioning the haste with which the Udhan=yanidhi has been anointed as the heir apparent, C Lakshmanan, former faculty of Madras Institute of Development Studies, says, “Besides reinforcing monarchical dynastic succession, this hereditary rule is unethical and undermines democracy. Even if by default, he comes from the DMK’s first family, he must have the necessary political exposure. It is nothing but the rule of the family, reflecting the lack of inner party democracy in the DMK. But, how this will play out in the 2026 assembly elections remains to be seen.”