No calculated grooming: DMK's Mahesh refutes claims of identity politics, backs Udhayanidhi

Udhayanidhi, 43, is popular for producing and acting in several movies, and is now entering politics

Tamil actor, producer and now politician Udhayanidhi Stalin is set to make his electoral debut in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Son of DMK president M K Stalin and grandson of late DMK founder M Karunanidhi, 43-year-old Udhayanidhi is popular for producing and acting in several movies such as Kuruvi, Aadhavan, Manmadhan Anbu and Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (OKOK). He won awards for best debut in the 2012 movie Oru Kal Oru Kannadi. After seeing his fair share of successes in the film industry, he is set to make his foray into politics.

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In an interview with The Indian Express, Stalin’s son talks about his friendship with his aide Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. He said that he entered politics campaigning for Mahesh in the 2016 Assembly polls of Trichy. Even Karunanidhi had attended a rally for Mahesh establishing him as one of the DMK’s next-generation faces.

After Udhayanidhi's nomination, other political parties slammed DMK calling accusing it of identity politics. Refuting the claims, Mahesh told Indian Express, “There was no calculated grooming… but something that evolved due to the contributions made by our families.”

Udhayanidhi was the managing director of the party’s mouthpiece Murasoli earlier and on July 4, 2019, he took over from his father as the secretary of DMK’s Youth Wing.

Tamil Nadu is set to go to polls on April 6 in a single phase, and campaigning by major political players is already in full swing in the state.

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