M. K. Stalin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M. K. Stalin
official portrait of M. K. Stalin
8th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2021
Governor	Banwarilal Purohit (2021) R. N. Ravi (2021–present)
Deputy Chief Minister	Udhayanidhi Stalin (2024–present)
Preceded by	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Additional ministries Incumbent Assumed office 7 May 2021 Ministry and Departments Public Home Police Indian Administrative Service Indian Police Service Indian Forest Service District Revenue Officers General Administration Special Initiatives Special Programme Implementation Welfare Of Differently-abled Persons Other Departments not allocated to any Minister Preceded by Edappadi K. Palaniswami CM
2nd President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 August 2018
General Secretary	Perasiriyar Anbazhagan Durai Murugan
Preceded by	M. Karunanidhi
Working President of Dravida Munetra Kazhagam
In office 4 January 2017 – 28 August 2018
President	M. Karunanidhi
General Secretary	K. Anbazhagan
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
17th Leader of the Opposition of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office 24 May 2016 – 6 May 2021
Governor	Konijeti Rosaiah C. Vidyasagar Rao Banwarilal Purohit
Chief Minister	Jayalalitha O. Panneerselvam Edappadi K Palaniswami
Preceded by	Vijayakanth
1st Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office 29 May 2009 – 15 May 2011
Governor	Surjit Singh Barnala
Chief Minister	M. Karunanidhi
Portfolios	General Administration District Revenue Officers Industries Minorities Welfare Passports Special Initiatives Social Reforms Municipal Administration Rural Development Panchayats and Panchayat Union Poverty Alleviation Programmes Rural Indebtedness Urban and Rural Water Supply
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	O. Panneerselvam (in 2017)
Treasurer of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 27 December 2008 – 27 August 2018
General Secretary	K. Anbazhagan
Preceded by	Arcot N. Veeraswami
Succeeded by	Durai Murugan
Cabinet Minister Government of Tamil Nadu
In office 13 May 2006 – 15 May 2011
Minister	Rural Development Local Administration
Chief Minister	M. Karunanidhi
Preceded by	K. P. Anbalagan
Succeeded by	P. Mohan
Deputy Gen.Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 2 June 2003 – 26 December 2008
General Secretary	K. Anbazhagan
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	position abolished
45th Mayor of Chennai
In office 25 October 1996 – 6 September 2002
Preceded by	R. Arumugam (in 1973)
Succeeded by	Karate R. Thiagarajan
Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 May 2011
Preceded by	constituency established
Constituency	Kolathur
In office 13 May 1996 – 15 May 2011
Preceded by	K. A. Krishnaswamy
Succeeded by	B. Valarmathi
Constituency	Thousand Lights
In office 27 January 1989 – 30 January 1991
Preceded by	K. A. Krishnaswamy
Succeeded by	K. A. Krishnaswamy
Constituency	Thousand Lights
Youth wing Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 20 July 1982 – 6 July 2017
General Secretary	K. Anbazhagan
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	M. P. Saminathan
Personal details
Born	Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (1953-03-01) 1 March 1953 (age 72) Madras, Madras State (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu), India
Political party	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Spouse	Durga Stalin ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2, including Udhayanidhi
Parent	M. Karunanidhi (father)
Relatives	Karunanidhi family
Residences	25/9, Chittaranjan Road, Alwarpet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Education	Bachelor of Arts
Alma mater	Presidency College, Chennai
Occupation	Politician
Signature
Nickname	MKS

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (born on March 1, 1953) is an Indian politician. He is currently the 8th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a position he has held since 2021. He is the third son of M. Karunanidhi, who was also a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, is the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

Stalin has been the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) political party since August 28, 2018. Before that, he was the Acting President from January 2017 to August 2018. He also served as the 45th Mayor of Chennai from 1996 to 2002. From 2009 to 2011, he was the first Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In 2022, he was recognized as one of India's most powerful people.

Early Life and Family

Stalin was born in Chennai on March 1, 1953. He is the third son of M. Karunanidhi, who was a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Dayalu Ammal. His father named him Stalin because he was born just four days after the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Stalin went to Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School in Chennai. He later studied history at Presidency College, Chennai, and earned his degree in 1973. In 2009, Anna University gave him an honorary doctorate degree.

Stalin married Durga (also known as Shantha) on August 20, 1975. They have two children. Their son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, is an actor and politician. Their daughter, Senthamarai Sabareesan, works in business and education.

Political Journey

Stalin's political journey began when he was a teenager. He started the DMK Gopalapuram Youth Wing with his friends. At 14, he helped his uncle, Murasoli Maran, in the 1967 elections. In 1973, he was chosen for the DMK's General Committee.

He became well-known when he was put in jail in 1976. This happened because he protested against a period called the Emergency. While in prison, he was hurt, and a fellow prisoner, C. Chittibabu, died while trying to protect him. Stalin even took his final year college exams while in jail.

Stalin later formed the DMK youth wing. In 1982, he became the youth wing secretary, a role he held for over 40 years. In 2011, he changed his election area for the first time, moving from Thousand Lights to the Kolathur area in Chennai.

DMK Youth Wing

In 1968, Stalin started the DMK Youth Wing in Gopalapuram. In 1983, he made it a statewide group and led it as Secretary for many decades. He traveled across Tamil Nadu to guide young people in politics at the local level.

Mayor of Chennai

In 1996, Stalin became the first directly elected mayor of Chennai. He started a project called Singara Chennai (Beautiful Chennai) to improve the city's facilities. His work earned him the title Managara Thanthai (father of the city).

As mayor, Stalin improved the city's garbage disposal and focused on cleaning. He started projects for health, public buildings, and schools. He also helped ease traffic by building many flyovers. During his first term, 9 large flyovers and 49 smaller bridges were built. He also improved government schools to be as good as private ones. Parks and fountains were set up, and many trees were planted, including at the Marina Beach. He was re-elected as Mayor in 2001.

However, a new law in 2002 prevented a person from holding two elected government jobs at once. This law was applied to Stalin, who was also an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). This meant he could not continue as Mayor.

State Minister

In the 2006 Assembly Elections, the DMK party won control of the state government again. Stalin became the Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration. He held this job for his entire term. During this time, he helped create many Women Self-Help Groups across the state. He also started large drinking water projects. In 2008, he became the treasurer of the DMK party.

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

On May 29, 2009, Stalin was named the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was the first person to hold this position in the state.

Leader of the Opposition

During the 2016 Assembly election, Stalin traveled across the state on a tour called Namakku Naame to connect with young people. He won the election in the Kolathur area and became the leader of the opposition party. In 2017, he went on another Namakku Naame tour. In 2018, his father, Karunanidhi, passed away, and Stalin became the president of the DMK party.

M. K. Stalin and Sedapatti Muthiah in 2018

Leading the Secular Progressive Alliance

Stalin formed the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu. He led this group in the 2019 general election. The alliance won 39 out of 40 Parliament seats and 12 out of 21 Assembly by-election seats. This was his first big victory as DMK President.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In the 2021 Assembly elections, Stalin led the campaign for the Secular Progressive Alliance. They won 159 out of 234 seats, with the DMK party winning 132 seats on its own. Stalin took his oath as Chief Minister on May 7, 2021, along with his cabinet.

When he became Chief Minister, the state was facing a serious health crisis. Stalin quickly set up a special team to manage hospital beds, ambulances, and oxygen. He even visited patients in hospitals while wearing a special protective suit. He also created a new team of top economists to advise the government. Under his leadership, Tamil Nadu became a leader in using vaccines efficiently, reducing waste.

In August 2021, Stalin allowed trained people from all castes to become temple priests. He said this was in line with the ideas of reformist leader Periyar, who believed in equal rights for all. In the same month, a survey by India Today magazine showed that Stalin was the most popular Chief Minister in India. He also changed the name of Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps to 'rehabilitation camps', saying, "They are not orphans, we are there for them." In September 2021, he announced that Periyar's birthday would be celebrated as Social Justice Day every year.

In June 2021, Stalin said that the state would review legal cases filed by the previous government. In September 2021, his government dropped over 5,570 legal cases. These cases had been filed against journalists and people who protested against certain laws and projects.

Awards and Recognitions

• Anna University gave Stalin an honorary doctorate for his work in government and community development.
• He received the Kentucky Colonel Award, a high honor from Kentucky in the United States, for his public service.
• Stalin was also named Kentucky's Goodwill Ambassador. This honor has been given to famous people like former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, and boxer Mohammed Ali.
• In 2011, the Government of Tamil Nadu received a Special Award for being the Best State among large states in India. It also won the Diamond State Award for excellence in Civil Safety, Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Women's Development.
• Tamil Nadu won many Nirmal Gram Awards for keeping its villages clean. These awards were received when Stalin was the Minister for Rural and Local Administration.

Filmography

Actor

• Ore Raththam (1987)
• Makkal Aanayittal (1988)
• Kurinji Malar - TV Series (1988)
• Suriya - TV Series

Producer

• Nambikkai Natchathram (1978)

See also

• M. K. Stalin ministry