Udhayanidhi, a former actor who turned to politics, won his first assembly election in 2021. He was recently appointed as a minister in his father's cabinet in December 2022, solidifying his position as an up-and-coming leader in the DMK.
In spite of his political background, Stalin Jr. has his own distinct style. He often wears jeans and a white shirt with the DMK's emblem, a rising sun, which is a departure from his father's customary outfit of a white veshti and shirt. While both M.K. Stalin and Karunanidhi were authoritative figures, Udhayanidhi tends to be more informal.
However, DMK supporters do not seem to mind. A member of the DMK youth wing stated, "He may not possess the oratory skills of his grandfather or the delivery style of his father. Nevertheless, we are drawn to him because his speeches sound like conversations."
This week, an unverified audio clip went viral, in which state finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR) can purportedly be heard saying that both Udhay, as the scion is known, and Sabre (V. Sabareesan, Stalin’s son in law) “have made more money in one year” and that this has become a “problem”.
A photo of Udhayanidhi Stalin wearing his signature white shirt embroidered with the DMK's emblem has been widely circulated on social media, including by state BJP leaders like Tamil Nadu party president K. Annamalai. Just a week prior to the emergence of the photo, Annamalai had released an "expose" alleging financial misconduct by Sabareesan, Udhayanidhi's brother-in-law. Annamalai also demanded to know who funded Udhayanidhi's film production company, Red Giant Movies.
Udhayanidhi has sent a legal notice to Annamalai, seeking Rs. 50 crore in compensation for his "defamatory statements". However, the BJP has yet to respond to the notice. As the controversy continues, senior political analyst Radhakrishnan stated that Udhayanidhi will need to up his game if he hopes to follow in his grandfather's and father's footsteps.
In May 2021, Udhayanidhi was elected as the MLA from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency in Chennai by a fat margin of more than 68,000 votes. This was no ordinary seat, but Karunanidhi’s bastion between 1996 and 2011
While many have questioned Udhayanidhi’s swift leap from first-time MLA to minister holding multiple portfolios, many officials in his departments said he was up for the responsibility