From 14-yr-old DMK cadre to Tamil Nadu's 8th Chief Minister; a look at MK Stalin's journey

As MK Stalin takes oath as the 8th Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Friday, the 68-year old has had a long wait to attain the top post. Since taking his first plunge into politics at the age of 14, Stalin has been working towards stepping into his father MK Karunanidhi's shoes - becoming DMK chief and now Tamil Nadu CM. Stalin won the Kolathur constituency by a third consecutive landslide victory, polling 91,303 votes in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu polls.

Plunge into politics

Born to former CM MK Karunanidhi's second wife Dayalu Ammal on 1 June 1953 - MK Stalin was the poet-neta's third son. Named after the Father of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, Karunanidhi's youngest son joined the DMK Youth Wing and campaigned for his uncle Murisoli Maran in 1967. Progressing in his political journey, Stalin was soon elected to DMK's General committee in 1973.

During the 1975-76 emergency, Stalin had been jailed by the Indira Gandhi govt under the stringent MISA (Management Maintenance of Internal Security Act) while protesting against the Emergency. Stalin was allegedly beaten up in custody and fellow DMK member C. Chittibabu allegedly died of injuries in police torture while protecting the DMK scion. After being released from jail, Stalin contested his first Assembly polls from Thousand Lights constituency in 1989. He held the Chennai-based constituency four times, before he shifted to Kolathur in 2011.

After winning the 1996 Assembly, Stalin - who was DMK Youth Wing secretary - was also elected as Chennai's mayor and later re-elected in 2001. During his term, Stalin developed 12 flyovers in Chennai and privatised conservancy operations. Once DMK wrested power from AIADMK in 2006, Stalin was made Deputy CM and Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration. As his father Karunanidhi's health deteriorated, he named Stalin as his successor, leading to a fallout between his elder brother MK Alagiri and his family. Alagiri was expelled from DMK by his father Karunanidhi in 2014 over several criminal charges and also fell out with the Maran family - which owns the Sun network.

In 2018, after Karunanidhi passed away, Stalin was voted unanimously as DMK chief by the party. He took on the enormous task of filling Kalaignar's shoes and revived the DMK which had been out of power for almost ten years after winning only 89 seats in 2016. He tasted success when he routed the AIADMK in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections winning 38 seats.

Way to Tamil Nadu CM

In a do-or-die state Assembly election in 2021, MK Stalin extensively campaigns across all 234 constituencies holding 'gram sabhas' aided by Rahul Gandhi's lacklustre campaign, which tipped the scales heavily in his favour. Stalin also promised in its manifesto promising national recognition to Thiruvalluvar's Tirukurral,  75% quota to Tamilians in jobs, 500 Kalaignar Unavagam (canteens), increase women representation from 30 to 40%, slash petrol and diesel rates, ban NEET exams,  waive education loans of students below 30 years of age, punishing Jayalalitha's killers - to name a few. He was rewarded with the DMK bagging seats while its allies bagged - Congress (18), VCK (4), CPI (2), CPM (2) seats. The incumbent AIADMK was reduced to 66 seats while its allies won - BJP (4) and PMK (5) seats.