Chennai, August 28:  MK Stalin, the younger son of the late DMK President Karunanidhi, became the new DMK Chief on Tuesday. Meanwhile, senior leader and party principal secretary Duraimurugan was elected as the treasurer, hitherto held by Stalin. The decision was taken at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)'s General Council meeting at the party headquarters in Chennai. After being elected as the President, Stalin paid tribute to CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi. With the latest elevation in the party, Stalin has become the second DMK Chief, the first being his father, M Karunanidhi.

Four resolutions were passed by the general council meeting out of which the third resolution was electing Stalin as party president. Stalin was elected unopposed as he was the only nominee for DMK’s president post.  Stalin, who was appointed the ‘working president’ of the party in 2017, filed his nomination for the post at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters in Chennai.

 

Stalin was standing against his brother MK Alagiri in the party presidential election, which was held today. The rivalry between Stalin and his elder brother M K Alagiri came to light recently after the latter claimed that true loyalists of Karunanidhi were with him.

Alagiri was expelled from the party by Karunanidhi in 2014. Reports inform that he has been questioning the leadership of Stalin. The political war between the brothers got intense after Alagiri on 13 August claimed, "All the supporters in Tamil Nadu are on my side and are encouraging me only. Only time will give the answers; that is all I am willing to say now."

Reports inform that Stalin's journey in the party began early when he campaigned in the 1967 elections as a 14-year-old school student. He became the party's youth-wing secretary in 1984. The 65-year-old DMK Chief was put in prison under Maintenance of Internal Security Act in 1976 during  Emergency. Stalin's growth has been steady and he became party deputy general secretary in 2003. He was re-elected treasurer for the second five-year term in January 2015.

He became an MLA for the first time in 1989 from Thousand Lights constituency in the city from where he was re-elected thrice. In 2006, he became the Municipal Administration Minister in the DMK government and went on to become the Deputy Chief Minister in 2009.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2018 10:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).