The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has chosen Udhayanidhi Stalin as the leader of its legislature party, just before the swearing-in of newly elected MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. This decision follows the recent Assembly elections where the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the largest party but lacked the majority to form the government.
Amidst the political realignment, the TVK sought support from DMK-led alliance partners as no party secured a clear mandate. Notably, the Congress broke away from the DMK alliance to back the TVK, leading to C. Joseph Vijay becoming the new Chief Minister with support from CPI, CPI-M, VCK, and IUML.
With this alliance, the TVK comfortably crossed the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly, allowing Vijay to take office as the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the DMK announced its legislature party office-bearers, with Udhayanidhi Stalin as the Leader, K.N. Nehru as Deputy Leader, and E.V. Velu as the party whip in the Assembly.
