Opinion | Udhayanidhi To Akhilesh, How India's Political 'Sons' Have Fared

The latest move by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to appoint his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, as his deputy, completes the process of the formal anointment of a political heir for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The party's symbol', a 'rising sun' behind two mountains, lends it some sharp symbolism.

After the 46-year-old leader was inducted into the Council of Ministers in 2022 by his father, the succession plan seemed like only the natural next step. Stalin himself was handed over the baton in a similar fashion by his father M.K. Karunanidhi after serving as his deputy from 2009 to 2011.

However, the father and the son followed very different trajectories in terms of their entry into politics. Spending two decades as an understudy, Stalin's journey began with him forming the DMK youth wing. After that, he went on to become the Mayor of Chennai, before joining his father's Cabinet and later being named as his deputy. On the other hand, Udhayanidhi joined politics after a stint in the Tamil film industry as a producer and actor. His entry, though recent, was powerful. Credited with energising party workers and drawing youth towards the DMK, Udhayanidhi now has enough time to take the load off his father and inject some young energy into the campaign ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state.