DMK general council meeting LIVE UPDATES: M K Stalin, with his sister and Rajya Sabha MP M K Kanimozhi, after filing his nomination papers for the post of DMK president. (PTI Photo)
M K Stalin is likely to be elected president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday at the party’s General Council meeting. The 65-year-old, who has been poised to take over the reins of the party from his father, the late M Karunanidhi, had filed his nomination papers on Sunday. Stalin, who has been at the helm of DMK’s affairs since the run-up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections in 2016, was appointed ‘working president’ of the party in 2017.
Karunanidhi’s death earlier this month had led to a succession war within the party, with expelled party leader M K Alagiri — Karunanidhi’s son —claiming DMK’s “true loyalists” were on his side. Despite being expelled from the party in 2014 for ‘anti-party activities’, Alagiri has claimed he is heir to the party and has questioned Stalin’s leadership.
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According to leaders in the DMK, M K Stalin will be elected unopposed during the party's General Council meeting on Tuesday (PTI/File Photo)
Taking to Twitter on Monday, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram congratulated Stalin. "I am pleased to congratulate Mrs. Stalin, who will be nominated as DMK chief and selected tomorrow," he tweeted.
Nominations for the posts of president and treasurer were held on Sunday, August 26. While Stalin filed his papers for the post of president, Duraimurugan filed papers for the post of treasurers, which was held by Stalin. Here are some pictures from Sunday. You can follow LIVE UPDATES on the DMK General Council Meeting in Tamil here.
(PTI Photos)
The General Council meeting is underway in Chennai.
On the eve of the General Council meeting, M K Alagiri warned of consequences if he was not readmitted to the party. Alagiri, the elder son of Karunanidhi, was expelled from the DMK in 2014 for 'anti-party activities'. He was quoted by PTI saying, "Kalaingar (Karunanidhi) is not there now. The party has to be saved and protected. If they don’t readmit me, they will have to face consequences."
The decision to elevate Stalin is likely to be unanimously today. Senior leader and party principal secretary Duraimurugan, meanwhile, is likely to fill the position of treasurer, which was held by Stalin.
M K Stalin is set to take over as president of the DMK today, at the party's general council meeting in Chennai. If election, Stalin will be the party's third president, after C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi. Stalin was appointed working president of the party in January 2017, after leading the party's campaign for the 2016 Assembly Elections. He's been heading DMK's affairs since 2016, when Karunanidhi fell ill. Follow our blog for the latest news and updates.
Visuals from the DMK headquraters in Chennai (ANI Photo)