Chennai: Clad in a white long-sleeve shirt, a yellow shawl on one shoulder and a vintage microphone—an ensemble ordinarily reminiscent of Tamil Nadu’s longest serving chief minister late K. Karunanidhi—images of his grandson Udhayanidhi Stalin made an appearance in posters on the streets of Chennai Wednesday.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) celebrated Udhayanidhi’s 47th birthday on 27 November, his first since his elevation as the state’s deputy chief minister. Besides the posters, senior ministers and young party cadres queued up to greet him as songs released by the party praised his work.
“DMK has always celebrated its leaders’ birthdays. But this year, we made extra efforts as it is Udhayanidhi’s first birthday after being elevated as the deputy CM,” said a source at the DMK Youth Wing headquarters, requesting anonymity.
He added that DMK cadres use such occasions as an opportunity to serve society. The party’s youth wing has been conducting various welfare programmes, ranging from blood donation camps to food distribution, across the state for the past few months in celebration of Udhayanidhi’s birthday.
Udhayanidhi has been DMK’s youth wing secretary since 2019 and also holds the youth welfare and sports development portfolio in the Tamil Nadu cabinet. He was appointed the deputy chief minister in September this year, making him the youngest person in the state to hold the position. He represents the Chepauk–Thiruvallikeni assembly constituency in Chennai.
On Wednesday, Udhayanidhi shared pictures of him being greeted by his father and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and mother Durga Stalin on X.
உயிரையும், உடலையும் தந்தது மட்டுமின்றி தமிழ்நாட்டை நேசிக்கும் உணர்வையும் – அயராது உழைப்பதற்கான ஆற்றலையும் தந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் கழகத்தலைவர் – மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்களிடமும், ஈன்றெடுத்த அன்புத்தாயாரிடமும் பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகளைப் பெற்றுக் கொண்டோம்.
எந்நாளும்… pic.twitter.com/rlYdwgmEVM
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) November 27, 2024
He spent the day visiting the memorials of former chief ministers Karunanidhi and C.N. Annadurai, and social reformer Periyar in Chennai, and meeting Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) minister P.K. Sekarbabu, Chennai Central MP Dayanidhi Maran, and Chennai Mayor Priya Rajan.
Udhayanidhi also distributed goods and cash to the cleaning staff at the Karunanidhi memorial, extended financial assistance to 250 college-going students and 100 transpersons, 50 women’s self-help groups, and gave sports equipment for 375 sportspersons.
The deputy CM also met hundreds of DMK cadres who had travelled from across the state.
The entire celebration was live-streamed by the DMK Youth Wing on YouTube, as it collaborated with the IT wing and strategist firm Populus Empowerment Network (PEN) for social media outreach using the hashtag #HBDDyCMUdhay.
DMK leader K.E. Prakash, who attended the celebration, told ThePrint that at least 50,000 young cadres visited Udhayanidhi’s residence ‘Kurinji’ in Chennai for his birthday.
“The decision to evoke Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) in his speech and mannerisms is liked by everyone. It is to inspire people,” Prakash said.
At the end of the day-long event, Udhayanidhi was also greeted in person by Thol Thirumavalan, chief of DMK ally Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
#திராவிட_மாடல் #ChepaukTriplicane @mkstalin pic.twitter.com/tMwy1M3T2v
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) November 27, 2024
Also Read: How DMK is trying to reclaim lost forts in Tamil Nadu’s west & south, with Stalin taking lead
‘Tamil Nadu’s hope’
“Yaar enna sonna enna, Vantharu Udhay anna (Whatever people may say, brother Udhay has come,” say the lyrics of one of the three songs released by DMK on the eve of Udhayanidhi’s birthday.
The song carries several references to his work over the past few years. These included his criticism of the Centre in the run-up to the 2021 assembly polls over the delay in construction of AIIMS in Madurai, carrying a red brick with AIIMS written on it at a rally—a widely circulated image that marked his entry into active politics.
His supervision of the flood mitigation work and the Formula 4 racing event held in August 2024 in Chennai also found a mention. The song went on to say that Udhayanidhi has protected the Dravida land.
Meanwhile, the Tuesday edition of DMK mouthpiece Murasoli carried at least 20 pages celebrating his birthday and projecting him as “Tamil Nadu’s hope”, published by DMK units from across the state and capital Chennai. It also featured two poems about Udhayanidhi, including one written by former higher education minister P. Palaniappan, calling the deputy chief minister the state’s asset.
Simultaneously, 182 young orators, selected after a multi-level competition to campaign for the party ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, were also engaged in endorsing Udhayanidhi’s work and the party’s ideologies across the state, sources confirmed to ThePrint. The winner of the competition, M. Moganidhi, was invited to speak at an event held as part of the birthday celebration by the DMK unit in Dubai.
A day before his birthday, Tamil Nadu’s minister for school education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi had said that Udhayanidhi will be the chief minister in future.
