India News | Udhayanidhi Stalin Likely to Be Inducted into TN Cabinet Soon

Chennai, Dec 12 (PTI) DMK youth wing secretary and Chief Minister M K Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi, is expected to be appointed a Minister this week, party sources said here on Monday.

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Udhayanidhi, who represents the Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni constituency here in the Assembly, has not made any denial vis-a-vis the development.

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Asked on the matter, DMK spokesperson Constantine Ravindran said that be it Ministers or party district secretaries, there is a demand that Udhayanidhi Stalin be made a Minister. "Now, this demand is more pronounced," he told PTI.

On a claim doing the rounds that Udhayanidhi would be appointed Minister on December 14, he said: "There is no denying the fact that party office-bearers want to see him as a Minister. A decision, however, lies in the hands of our party president (Chief Minister M K Stalin)."

Party sources added that he is expected to be inducted into the Cabinet by this week and consequently, a Cabinet reshuffle is also on the cards.

Also a film-maker and actor, Udhayanidhi was elected to the Assembly in the 2021 Assembly election.

Udhayanidhi, when asked on speculations that he is set to be inducted into the Cabinet, he shot back asking, 'Who said?' and when reporters told him that there is a 'talk' among people, the DMK leader answered saying scribes should 'ask the people.' He said a decision on such matters would be taken by the Chief Minister. The DMK youth wing secretary spoke to reporters after distributing welfare assistance to people on December 11.

Political analyst Durai Karuna said that leaders were preparing the ground for a year now for Udhayanidhi to become a Minister. Senior Ministers including Duraimurugan and others, who have a strong say in party matters, have openly expressed their support to Udhayanidhi's appointment as a Minister and resolutions were passed by district secretaries, he said.

"All of them have asserted time and again that Udhayanidhi deserves a Cabinet position. So, the development is on the expected lines. Udhayanidhi becoming a Minister is for sure. We hear that even a chamber for him is ready in the Secretariat. We can expect him to be the DMK's face for 2026 Assembly election," he said.

Political commentator M Bharat Kumar said: "We can definitely expect a Cabinet reshuffle on December 14. Udhayanidhi is likely to get portfolios including Youth Welfare and Special Programme Implementation that will take him to the next level, both in the party and the government within the next 3 years, in time for the next Assembly election."

Most likely Udhayanidhi would be a Minister before 'this week ends' as the Tamil month 'Margazhi' commences after that, Kumar said. Margazhi is considered inauspicious by many people for beginnning something new.

Leader of Opposition and AIADMK interim general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, addressing a party event in Tirupur, slammed the ruling DMK as a 'family party.'

Stalin is set to make his son Udhayanidhi a Minister 'within four days' and seniors have been given 'dummy' departments, he claimed. Those who have slogged for the party have not got posts, he alleged.

The AIADMK leader said late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi had once criticised the Nehru-Gandhi family and wondered if it was a royal clan as those belonging to that family managed to become the Prime Minister. "He (Karunanidhi) had asked if others should not become the Prime Minister," Palaniswami said on Sunday. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)