- Udhayanidhi Stalin told NDTV the decision to make him Leader of Opposition would be taken by senior leaders
- He won Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seat by over 7,000 votes in Tamil Nadu assembly polls
- His father MK Stalin lost Kolathur seat, marking his first defeat in 35 years
With his father and DMK president MK Stalin suffering a shock defeat in the the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday told NDTV that the decision to make him the Leader of Opposition would be taken by the party leadership.
Udhayanidhi, the Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister, won the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency by over 7,000 votes after trailing in the initial few rounds of counting of votes on Monday. His father, however, faced his first electoral defeat in 35 years, losing his Kolathur bastion to TVK's VS Babu.
"I cannot make that decision. We have many seniors in our party who have already won, who have been senior MLAs. Whatever my leader says, I will do," Udhayanidhi told NDTV when asked if he wants to become the leader of the opposition.
The 49-year-old grandson of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi was also asked if the "young leaders" should now come forward and lead the party, to which he responded "definitely".
"Definitely it's a good change. But you cannot say that the DMK has never given a chance for youth," he added.
"But whatever the people have decided, we accept it. Whoever has won, we will work for the people," he said.
His remarks came a day after the DMK was routed by actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
The debutant sprung a surprise by winning 108 of the state's 234 seats and became the single largest party.
Udhayanidhi Stalin's Political Career
Born on November 27, 1977, Udhayanidhi Stalin initially worked in the film industry as a producer/distributor and later as an actor.
In 2016, he was handed over DMK's Tamil mouthpiece, 'Murasoli'.
His big break in politics then came in 2019, when he was appointed as DMK youth wing secretary.
MK Stalin with Udhayanidhi Stalin after he was appointed as the Secretary of the party's youth wing in July 2019
Two years later, just before the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, he led a major 'single brick' campaign to send across a message to people that the Madurai AIIMS project of the BJP-led Centre remained a non-starter, though it was announced in the 2015-16 Union Budget.
Udhayanidhi Stalin during a rally on March 23, 2021
The same year, he achieved his maiden assembly victory when he won the family's safe seat, the Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni constituency. He went on to become the sports and youth welfare minister in 2022.
In 2023, he courted a major controversy over his "eradicate Sanatana Dharma" comments, drawing the ire of the BJP and pro-Hindu outfits.
He was appointed as the deputy chief minister in 2024.
