Tamil Nadu: Udhayanidhi Stalin wins big, cements claim to political legacy

CHENNAI: Standing atop his campaign van, brandishing a red brick, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the swashbuckling scion of the DMK family, thundered, “I have brought the Madurai AIIMS along with me”, a battle cry that went viral. There was no doubt about it – the DMK youth wing secretary and son of party president M K Stalin had made an impressive electoral debut.
A month later, on Sunday, Udhayanidhi won the Chepauk-Triplicane seat by a huge margin. His convincing win in the assembly segment represented in the past by his grandfather and former chief minister M Karunanidhi, Udhayanidhi has put to rest questions over his fast track induction into the party.
His victory is also significant in the backdrop of Stalin’s own reported reluctance in nominating his son as a candidate in this election, to deflate any attempt by the opposition to target the DMK over dynastic politics. Eventually, Udhayanidhi has not only proved himself to his father but also the voters of his constituency.
An actor, but not a reluctant political heir, Udhayanidhi tested electoral waters as a campaigner for his party-led alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He received a good response from people, who loved his extempore speeches.
During the run-up to the 2021 assembly election, Udhayanidhi and DMK women’s wing secretary Kanimozhi, besides Stalin himself, formed the three-member core campaigning team. Udhayanidhi began travelling around the state last November campaigning for the party. All through the trail, Udhayanidhi wowed and wooed. His brickbat about Madurai AIIMS to drive home the point that the project had not progressed beyond the customary groundbreaking ceremony – became a hit with the masses.
Enthused by the response, Udhayanidhi sharpened his attack on the AIADMK and the BJP. Irked by his remarks, the AIADMK and BJP brought in the big guns to retort – Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Udhayanidhi at a public meeting at Dharapuram.
With this win, Udhayanidhi has clearly ensconced himself on the political scene, and is now set to go places as he is likely to find a berth in his father’s cabinet. As for the show-stopper brick, Udhayanidhi tweeted a photograph of himself presenting it to his father on Sunday evening.