M K Stalin appointed as Deputy CM of Tamil Nadu

Long groomed as his heir to the Chief Minister's throne and to head the DMK, Karunanidhi today appointed his son M K Stalin as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The DMK chief, who appointed his 55-year-old son to be his deputy, entrusted to him the portfolios of Industry, General Administration, District Revenue Officers and Minority Welfare hitherto held by him.

Stalin, who still heads the party's youth wing and had shot to fame after his incarceration under MISA during the 1975 Emergency, will also continue to hold the portfolio of Rural Development and Local Administration, a Raj Bhavan press release, announcing his appointment, said.

The elevation of Stalin, who was Chennai Mayor during Karunanidhi's earlier tenure between 1996 and 2001, has been on the cards for quite sometime as Karunanidhi had been having problems after his major surgery for back pain in February last.

In his absence, Stalin was the main campaigner for the DMK in the Lok Sabha polls. His elevation came a day after his elder brother M K Azhagiri was sworn in as Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister in the UPA government.