CHENNAI: Former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was elected as the floor leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
With the DMK emerging as the principal Opposition party in the Assembly, Udhayanidhi is set to become the Leader of the Opposition in the House.
In a statement, the party also announced that former Ministers KN Nehru and EV Velu have been elected as the deputy floor leader and party whip, respectively.
Udhayanidhi formally entered active politics after being appointed secretary of the DMK Youth Wing on July 4, 2019. He campaigned extensively for the party during the 2019 Lok Sabha election across Tamil Nadu. He was first elected to the Assembly from the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency in the 2021 Assembly election.
In December 2022, Udhayanidhi was sworn in as Tamil Nadu's Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development and later served as Deputy Chief Minister.
In the 2026 Assembly election, he retained the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency with a victory margin of 62,992 votes.