MK Stalin elected as DMK president: From Thalapathy to Thalaivar

On August 28, MK Stalin was elected as the DMK President unopposed at the party’s General Council meeting. During the party’s meeting, DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said Stalin was elected unopposed, as he was the sole candidate who had filed nomination for the party chief’s post on August 26.

65-year-old Stalin, became the second President of one of the oldest political party in India amidst threats by his elder brother and expelled DMK leader MK Alagiri who asserted that the party will have to face consequences if he was not re-admitted into the party. The post was previously held by his late father and five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi.

The need for the election for party President was felt after Karunanidhi passed away on August 7. DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said that 1,307 party officials seconded Stalin’s candidature.

Stalin was hailed by the laypeople as ‘Thalapathy’ (Commander) in the rented Kalaignar Arangam where the meeting took place while the General Council members cheered with loud applause. Senior leader Duraimurugan, along with Stalin, was also elected unopposed as the party’s Treasurer.

Before announcing the news, the General Council condoled the deaths of Karunanidhi, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, party cadres who died in shock after hearing Karunanidhi’s death, the anti-Sterlite copper smelter plant protesters who were killed in the police firing in Tuticorin in May and also the victims of the floods in Kerala.

DMK General Council meeting underway at party headquarters in Chennai. DMK Working President MK Stalin has filed nomination for the post of party president. #TamilNadu (Images source- Kalaignar TV) pic.twitter.com/D08ZbSNOuy

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to congratulate MK Stalin on being elected as President.

Congratulations to Shri M K Stalin on being elected President of the DMK. I wish him happiness & success as he begins a new chapter in his political journey. @mkstalin #DMKThalaivarStalin

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 28, 2018

Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy too followed suit while asserting that they were “ideologically still far apart.”

My congrats to MK Stalin. I wish him the best future. I have nothing against him. Ideologically we are still far apart. But his father’s sins cannot visit on him.

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 28, 2018

Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee too congratulated Stalin through a tweet.

Congratulations and best wishes to @mkstalin for being elected President of the DMK @arivalayam

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 28, 2018

Also Read: DMK leaders pledge support to Stalin