CHENNAI: Leaders extended birthday wishes to Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin as he turned 48 on Thursday.
State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, in his greeting, hailed the DMK youth wing secretary as a "hero of hope".
The DMK youth wing hailed its leader Udhayanidhi as "a leader who stands as a pillar" of the Dravidian model government under Chief Minister M K Stalin. The party celebrated the Deputy Chief Minister’s birthday by posting photographs and videos on social media calling him as an "energetic young leader".
Born on November 27, 1977, Udhayanidhi, who was elevated to the position of Deputy Chief Minister on September 28, 2024, had appealed to the party members not to be lavish in celebrating his birthday and instead prioritise the relief work in rain-affected southern districts.
"While a birthday brings happiness in everyone’s life, I am not keen on lavish celebrations," he had said in a statement on the eve of his birthday.
Udhayanidhi is the third Deputy Chief Minister of the state after his father who held this post when Udhayanidhi’s grandfather late M Karunanidhi was the chief minister, and O Panneerselvam of the AIADMK.
Extending his greetings on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, its chief K Selvaperunthagai said "it is noteworthy that you are the voice of hope for the youth, reflecting the revolutionary thinking of the great Tamil leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and the welfare initiatives of the chief minister.”
“May good health and the ability to continue serving the people always accompany you,” Selvaperunthagai said in a post on the social media platform ‘X.’
This film producer and actor-turned politician is the youngest leader to hold the position of Deputy Chief Minister. Udhayanidhi Stalin holds the Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Special Programme Implementation, Poverty Alleviation Programme and Rural Indebtedness and Planning and Development portfolios.