Udhayanidhi Stalin was elected to the assembly last year from Chepauk Thiruvallikeni
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's son Udhayanidhi is set to be sworn in as a minister on Wednesday, the Raj Bhavan confirmed today. His swearing-in ceremony will be held at 9.30 am on Wednesday.
"The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (M K Stalin) has recommended to the Governor of Tamil Nadu (R N Ravi) to induct Udhayanidhi Stalin, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly Constituency in the Council of Ministers. The Governor has approved the recommendation. The Swearing-in-Ceremony will be held on 14th December 2022 at 9.30 A.M. at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan, Chennai," an official release from the Raj Bhavan said.
DMK sources said the first-time MLA is likely to get the sports portfolio, indicating a cabinet reshuffle or dropping of a Minister.
This would be the first cabinet expansion by Chief Minister M K Stalin, a year after his party the DMK came to power.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, 45, was elected to the assembly last year from the Chepauk Thiruvallikeni constituency, a seat earlier held by his grandfather Karunanidhi.
An actor and filmmaker, he was a star campaigner for the party in the polls and his campaign style, like posing with a brick to target the BJP for the 'delay' in the construction of AIIMS in Madurai drew attention.
Udhayanidhi currently heads the party's youth wing, a position that was held by his dad for decades. "Being a young leader, Udhayanidhi may want to be in a space to reach out to the younger population" said a DMK leader who did not want to be named.
Chief Minister MK Stalin too climbed up in ranks from the level of an MLA and mayor.
The ruling DMK has four members from the Karunanidhi family in elected positions, including Lok Sabha MPs MK Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran.
In a recent NDTV interview, Udhayanidhi said, "We went to the people and democratically won their mandate. They trust us, otherwise, they wouldn't have voted for us."