Udhayanidhi Stalin to become deputy chief minister; Senthil Balaji to be made minister again; changes in Tamil Nadu cabinet

CHENNAI: Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, has been elected as the deputy chief minister. Udhayanidhi Stalin, 46, is currently the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. Changes have been made in the cabinet as well.

Former transport minister Senthil Balaji, who was granted bail in a money laundering case, has been made a minister again. With this, four new ministers, including Balaji, will be inducted into the cabinet. The chief minister has written a letter to the governor in this regard and the swearing-in ceremony will be held at 3.30 pm on Sunday. Three ministers have been dropped from the cabinet.

According to national media reports, Udhayanidhi Stalin's promotion is aimed at helping his father in governance. Udhayanidhi became active in politics through his campaign in the last Lok Sabha elections. Udhayanidhi, a leader of the DMK's youth wing, is an MLA from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency. He was sworn in as a minister in December 2022.

It is to be noted that such a move by the DMK comes at a time when actor Vijay has formed a party in Tamil Nadu and is starting his political activities. Stalin was made the deputy chief minister after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when Karunanidhi was the chief minister. According to reports, Udhayanidhi will follow in the footsteps of Stalin.