How ‘Champion Of Identity’ MK Stalin Is Stealing The Spotlight Ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu Elections

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Last Updated:March 17, 2025, 07:53 IST

Stalin, astatine the helm of the state, has an ambitious extremity successful sight: securing a seventh word for the DMK successful 2026 and achieving DMK’s archetypal consecutive triumph successful the past 55 years

Stalin is projecting the DMK arsenic the main defender of the state’s taste and linguistic heritage. (PTI)

His sanction was MK Stalin, the lad of M Karunanidhi, person of the DMK. That day, successful his maiden speech, Stalin made a vow that would signifier his politics. “Add my sanction to the database of students acceptable to marque immoderate sacrifice for Tamil," helium declared, signalling his unwavering committedness to the cause.

Fast guardant to 2025, and 1 tin spot however a 72-year-old Stalin, present the main minister, is doubling down connected the Tamil origin and virtually stealing the spotlight up of the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections.

There is simply a governmental strategy down Stalin’s vociferous onslaught connected the Centre. Will it assistance him re-write history, adjacent arsenic a large alleged liquor scam is haunting the party?

Since 1971, the DMK has ne'er been capable to repetition powerfulness successful Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK has managed to bash the aforesaid thrice arsenic a ascendant powerfulness successful the state, but it seems presently successful a disarray.

Stalin, astatine the helm of the state, has an ambitious extremity successful sight: securing a seventh word for the DMK successful 2026 and achieving DMK’s archetypal consecutive triumph successful the past 55 years. As the authorities marches toward the adjacent election, the governmental dynamics are thing but predictable. And Stalin knows helium needs to whip up a large origin to drawback the imaginativeness of radical yet again and not fto anti-incumbency derail the DMK.

Hence, we spot Stalin locking horns with the BJP astatine the Centre implicit a bid of issues — from Hindi imposition to delimitation, and the denial of cardinal funds. He has besides latched connected to the “uncivilised" barb by Union acquisition curate Dharmendra Pradhan to accidental Tamils are being humiliated by the Centre.

Stalin says these are not conscionable governmental issues — but existential threats to Tamil Nadu’s pridefulness and linguistic autonomy. He is projecting the DMK arsenic the main defender of the state’s taste and linguistic practice — whether it’s warring for the close to thatch successful Tamil oregon opposing the National Education Policy, Stalin says helium is the steadfast champion of Tamil identity.

Let’s chopped to his code connected March 1, his 72nd birthday. Stalin urged the radical of Tamil Nadu to emergence and support the state’s autonomy, societal justice, and payment programmes. He described 2 “existential battles" facing the state: 1 to support the Tamil connection and different to defy the Centre’s determination to alteration constituency delimitation. To punctuation Stalin, this is not conscionable a governmental combat — it is simply a conflict for Tamil Nadu’s precise soul.

So, we spot Stalin unreserved his ministers and MPs to 7 states to galvanise enactment from their CMs and erstwhile CMs against delimitation. A large gathering is slated successful Chennai of these leaders connected March 22. And determination is Stalin’s determination to word the caller National Education Policy (NEP) ‘Nagpur Education Policy’ to assertion however the RSS-influenced BJP is forcing Hindi imposition.

The Political Scene successful Tamil Nadu

The BJP has tried, repeatedly, to marque inroads into Tamil Nadu, but their efforts person been met with staunch opposition. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led confederation triumphed with a cleanable expanse of each 39 seats, reinforcing Stalin’s stature arsenic a governmental juggernaut and emboldening DMK’s chances successful adjacent year’s assembly elections. BJP’s authorities main Annamalai mislaid his ain predetermination from Coimbatore successful 2024. The AIADMK-BJP confederation broke earlier the 2024 elections, and they proceed to beryllium connected abstracted paths.

But now, there’s a caller prima connected the skyline to springiness a situation to some the DMK and the BJP. It is Vijay, who mesmerised the assemblage with his cinematic oration astatine his party’s archetypal league successful Vikravandi, successful which helium positioned himself arsenic as opposed to the BJP and the DMK. He says determination is simply a publicity-seeking authorities sitting successful New Delhi which is neglecting Tamil Nadu, portion determination is simply a publicity-seeking authorities successful Tamil Nadu that has forgotten the payment of its people.

Stalin says radical volition ne'er judge Vijay’s enactment arsenic they had seen a enactment similar the DMK. Other mega cine stars successful Tamil Nadu, similar Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan, were not capable to ace the governmental battlefield. The DMK besides has a younger offering to antagonistic Vijay — their rising prima and 1 of the astir intimately watched figures successful Tamil Nadu politics, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the 47-year-old lad of MK Stalin. Udhayanidhi, a first-time MLA, was elevated to the presumption of lawman main curate past year, signalling that the DMK intends to proceed its dynastic governmental legacy.

Many deliberation the Tamil Nadu elections successful 2026 are each astir a combat betwixt Udhayanidhi, Vijay and Annamalai. But 1 cannot surely discount AIADMK, which is regrouping and attempting to reclaim their spot astatine the table. However, the AIADMK has a fractured leadership, with galore jockeying for the enactment position. Despite this turmoil, erstwhile CM Palaniswami’s caller speeches bespeak a desperation to reinvigorate the enactment and person the radical that AIADMK is inactive applicable and susceptible of challenging the DMK’s supremacy. Also, determination is simply a large question — volition BJP and AIADMK again re-align forces? It looks hard amidst the ‘Hindi imposition’ communicative arsenic AIADMK cannot spend to basal with the BJP connected this contented that could predominate the adjacent Tamil Nadu elections.

DMK’s Challenges

The DMK besides faces immoderate large challenges. Law and bid remains a pressing concern, and contempt Stalin’s fashionable image, his medication has faced accusations of corruption and inefficiency. An ED probe into a monolithic liquor scam successful the authorities worthy Rs 1,000 crore is threatening to stroke up up of the elections. The AIADMK says the scam could beryllium worthy Rs 4,0000 crore and wants Stalin to resign, adjacent arsenic DMK presumption it a witch-hunt by the Centre’s investigating agencies up of elections.

Moreover, there’s the increasing contented of Tamil Nadu’s debt, which has ballooned to a staggering Rs 8 lakh crore. As the state’s finances travel nether pressure, Stalin’s authorities has had to tread a good enactment betwixt pushing guardant ambitious payment programmes and ensuring fiscal discipline.

However, the Tamil Nadu authorities has been speedy to support its spending connected societal programmes, which it argues are captious to the well-being of the state’s astir vulnerable.

Welfare Dose

This brings america to Stalin’s 2nd portion of ammunition beyond invoking Tamil pridefulness — this is his payment exemplary and progressive development.

In its past fund earlier the elections conscionable past week, DMK has tried to further its committedness to the payment of Tamil Nadu’s people, particularly its women and younker who person been astatine the bosom of Stalin’s governmental agenda. Education remains a focal point, with a fund allocation of Rs 55,261 crore for education, the largest chunk of the state’s budget. Of this, a important information of implicit 80 per cent is earmarked for schoolhouse education, with an summation successful backing for authorities schools. Stalin’s authorities has besides committed to ensuring that the prime of acquisition is not compromised contempt the Centre withholding Rs 2,152 crore successful Samagra Siksha funds.

Stalin has remained steadfast connected his stance, stating that Tamil Nadu volition proceed to money its acquisition initiatives, adjacent astatine the outgo of losing cardinal funds.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme has been a large success, providing nutritious meals to 17.5 lakh students successful authorities schools crossed agrarian areas. This inaugural has present expanded to municipality areas, benefiting an further 3.14 lakh students. Stalin’s committedness to ensuring that the younker of Tamil Nadu are well-fed, well-educated, and prepared for the aboriginal has cemented his presumption arsenic a person who delivers connected his promises.

In different ground-breaking move, the authorities has introduced a programme that gives Rs 1,000 per period to 4 lakh pistillate students to promote them to prosecute higher education. The effect has been a 19 per cent summation successful pistillate enrollment successful higher acquisition successful conscionable 1 year. Additionally, laptops for 20 lakh assemblage students implicit the adjacent 2 years awesome a forward-thinking attack to acquisition successful the integer age.

Under Stalin, Tamil Nadu has seen an unprecedented propulsion toward infrastructure development. The fund announcements of the enlargement of the Chennai Metro, with caller metro lines and the improvement of a Regional Rapid Transport System, are acceptable to alteration the state’s proscription network, reducing congestion and improving municipality mobility. The DMK-led confederation had swept each 22 seats successful Chennai territory successful the 2021 elections.

Perhaps, astir ambitious of each is the projected improvement of a 2,000-acre Global City adjacent Chennai. This mega-project is designed to location IT parks, fintech commercialized zones, and high-tech companies. With a absorption connected innovation and technology, the Global City volition presumption Tamil Nadu arsenic a hub for the future, fostering economical growth, creating jobs, and enhancing the state’s planetary reputation, says the DMK.

Stalin Rallying Forces

At a clip erstwhile the INDIA bloc seems splintered, it is Stalin who is emerging arsenic idiosyncratic rallying the determination and nationalist absorption forces unneurotic against the BJP. Stalin is trying to physique a almighty confederation with these determination leaders. In fact, the Joint Action Committee formed by Stalin successful confederation with leaders from Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Telangana has gained important traction. The increasing determination sentiment against the BJP’s centralising tactics has agreed these states nether a communal origin — to sphere their autonomy and defy attempts by the Centre to enforce one-size-fits-all solutions.

Stalin’s March 22 league is poised to beryllium a turning constituent successful Tamil Nadu’s ongoing conflict to support its linguistic and taste pride. Top absorption leaders from Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha are each expected to attend, underscoring the solidarity betwixt states that person felt the brunt of the Centre’s decisions.

Amidst each this is MK Stalin’s bigger imagination —repeating powerfulness successful Tamil Nadu adjacent twelvemonth for the archetypal clip successful implicit 5 decades. Will his strategy work?

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First Published:

March 17, 2025, 07:53 IST

News elections How ‘Champion Of Identity’ MK Stalin Is Stealing The Spotlight Ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu Elections