Will field more youth: CM Stalin backs Udhayanidhi Stalin

CHENNAI: Seemingly seeking to counter the ‘youth’ threat posed by TVK leader Vijay, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin endorsed his son, Youth Wing secretary and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and said a substantially higher number of youngsters would be fielded in the 2026 Assembly election.

Addressing the DMK Youth Wing’s north zone conference at Kalaignar Thidal in Malappambadi near Tiruvannamalai, Stalin said the party would repose greater electoral responsibility in young leaders, particularly those nurtured through the Youth Wing. His announcement came after Udhayanidhi used the same stage to seek wider opportunities for youth.

While the generational shift is on expected lines as Udhayanidhi has long batted for giving a chance to youth wing members in polls, the catalyst seems to be Vijay’s success in capturing the attention - if not imagination - of the youth across the State.

The conference, attended by about 1.5 lakh Youth Wing office-bearers from 91 Assembly constituencies, also sought to project Udhayanidhi. Senior minister and Stalin confidant EV Velu hailed him as “Young Periyar”, while The Nilgiris MP A Raja went a step further, publicly inviting Udhayanidhi to lead the party in the future, remarks that drew thunderous applause and fuelled speculation about his post-2026 role.

During his speech, Udhayanidhi took a veiled dig at Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) by alluding to the recent Karur stampede tragedy to warn that spectacle-driven politics could not substitute for disciplined cadre work. “A crowd without control achieves nothing. Even if one crore people gather, it serves no purpose if there is no discipline,” he said, contrasting it with what he described as the DMK Youth Wing’s organisational strength and restraint.

Udhayanidhi lambasted the AIADMK–BJP alliance, accusing the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of weaponising agencies such as the Directorate of Enforcement, CBI, and Income Tax Department to intimidate DMK leaders. Referring to recent ED communications to the DGP in connection with charges involving Minister KN Nehru, he said the DMK would not be cowed down by “threat politics”.

He mocked the AIADMK as an “engine-less car” being dragged by the BJP, likening the national party to a “lorry” attempting to pull a vehicle that no longer had political momentum. “However hard they push, it will not move forward in Tamil Nadu,” he said, asserting that the State would always remain “out of Delhi’s control”.