Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Tamil pronunciation: [t̪iɾaːʋiɖɐ munːeːtrɐk kɐɻɐɡɐm]; transl. Dravidian Progressive Federation;^[9] abbr. DMK) is an Indian secular progressive political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is currently the ruling party, and the union territory of Puducherry, where it is currently the main opposition.^[10]

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Abbreviation	DMK
President	M. K. Stalin
General Secretary	Duraimurugan
Parliamentary Chairperson	Kanimozhi Karunanidhi
Rajya Sabha Leader	Tiruchi Siva
Lok Sabha Leader	T. R. Baalu
Treasurer	T. R. Baalu
Founder	C. N. Annadurai
Founded	17 September 1949 (76 years ago) (1949-09-17)
Split from	Dravidar Kazhagam
Preceded by	Justice Party (1917–1944) Dravidar Kazhagam (1944–1949)
Headquarters	Anna Arivalayam, 367–369, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai - 600018, Tamil Nadu, India
Student wing	Maanavar Ani
Youth wing	Ilaignar Ani
Women's wing	Magalir Ani
Labour wing	Labour Progressive Federation (LPF)
Ideology	Dravidianism[1] Tamil nationalism[2] Regionalism[3][4][5] Democratic socialism[6] Progressivism[6] Secularism[7]
ECI Status	State Party[8]
Alliance	National Alliance INDIA (since 2023) Regional Alliances SPA (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) Former Alliances UPA (2004–2013, 2016–2023) (till dissolved)) (National) Democratic Progressive Alliance (2006-2019) DMK-led Alliance (1967-2006) (till dissolved)) (Tamil Nadu) INC-DMK alliance ( 1971-1974; 1980-1983) (Tamil Nadu) Janata Alliance (1977-1980; 1984-1989) (Tamil Nadu) National Democratic Alliance (1999-2003) (India) National Front (1989-1991) (India) United Front (1996-1998) (India)
Seats in Rajya Sabha	10 / 245
Seats in Lok Sabha	22 / 543
Seats in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly	133 / 234
Seats in Puducherry Legislative Assembly	6 / 30
Number of states and union territories in government	1 / 31
Election symbol
(The rising sun)
Party flag
Website
www.dmk.in
Politics of India Political parties Elections

The DMK was founded on 17 September 1949 by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam, headed by Periyar.^[11][12][13] The DMK was headed by Annadurai as the general secretary from 1949 until his death on 4 February 1969.^[14] He also served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 1967 to 1969. Under Annadurai, in 1967 the DMK became the first party other than the Indian National Congress to win state-level elections with a clear majority on its own in India. M. Karunanidhi followed Annadurai as the first president of the party from 1969 until his death on 7 August 2018.^[15] He also served as the chief minister for five non-consecutive terms, in two of which he was dismissed by the Union government.^[16] After Karunanidhi's death, his son and former deputy, M. K. Stalin, succeeded as the party president and as a chief minister of Tamil Nadu from May 2021.^[17]

The DMK became the fifth-largest party in the Lok Sabha after the 2024 Indian general election.^[18] It currently holds 126 seats in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, where the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance holds 159 out of 234 seats.^[19]

History

Origins and foundation

Party flags in Madurai, Tamil Nadu

DMK traces its roots to the Justice Party founded by C. Natesa Mudaliar in 1916, in the presence of P. Theagaraya Chetty, P. T. Rajan, T. M. Nair, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar and a few others in Victoria Public Hall Madras Presidency.^[20] The Justice Party, whose objectives included social equality and justice, came to power in the first general elections to the Madras Presidency in 1920.^[21] Communal division between Brahmins and non-Brahmins began in the presidency during the late-19th and early-20th century, mainly due to caste prejudices and disproportionate Brahminical representation in government jobs. The Justice Party's foundation marked the culmination of several efforts to establish an organization to represent the non-Brahmins in Madras and is seen as the start of the Dravidian movement.^[22][23][24] In 1935, Periyar, a popular reformist leader at that time, joined the Justice Party.

In the 1937 elections, the Justice Party lost and the Indian National Congress under C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) came to power in Madras Presidency. Rajaji's introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject in schools led to the anti-Hindi agitations, led by Periyar and his associates.^[25][26][27]

In August 1944, Periyar created the 'Dravidar Kazhagam' (DK) movement out of the Justice Party and the Self-Respect Movement at the Salem Provincial Conference.^[28] The DK, conceived as a movement and not a political party, insisted on an independent nation for Dravidians called Dravida Nadu consisting of areas that were covered under the Madras Presidency.^[28]

Over the years, many disagreements arose between Periyar and his followers. In 1949, C. N. Annadurai and other members decided to take part in electoral politics and Periyar had strong objection on it. Annadurai and several of his followers decided to split from the DK movement and form the DMK.^[29][30]

The Dravidian philosophy played a key role in the DMK at the helm of administration. It was described it as the earliest subaltern movement in the history of the Indian subcontinent politics to have political representation from former lower castes. This led to greater political participation, which improved representation of the emergent strata, enriched civic life, and subsequently strengthened pluralist democracy in the region.^[31]

C. N. Annadurai era (1949–1969)

Dr. C.N. Annadurai
Founder of the party

Main article: C. N. Annadurai

The DMK's initial participation in electoral politics, in the 1957 legislative assembly elections, was mixed. While it won 15 seats, many prominent leaders such as Annadurai and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan were defeated. It fared somewhat better in the 1962 elections, winning 50 seats and becoming the main opposition party.^[32]

Anti-Hindi Imposition agitations

See also: Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu

The DMK inherited the anti-Hindi imposition policies of its parent organization, DK. Founder C.N. Annadurai had earlier participated in the anti-Hindi imposition agitations during 1938–40 and throughout the 1940s.

In July 1953, the DMK launched an agitation against the Union government's proposed name-change of Kallakudi to Dalmiapuram. They claimed that the town's proposed new name, proposed to be named after Ramkrishna Dalmia, symbolized the exploitation of South India by the North.^[33][34] On 15 July, M. Karunanidhi and other DMK members removed the Hindi name from Dalmiapuram railway station's name board and protested on the tracks. In the altercation with the police that followed the protests, two DMK members lost their lives, and several others, including Karunanidhi and Kannadasan, were arrested.^[35]

The DMK continued its anti-Hindi Imposition policies throughout the 1950s, along with the secessionist demand for Dravida Nadu, which initially adopted a more radical stance than the Dravida Kazhagam.^[36] On 28 January 1956, Annadurai, along with Periyar and Rajaji, signed a resolution passed by the Academy of Tamil Culture endorsing the continuation of English as the official language.^[37][38] On 21 September 1957, the DMK convened an anti-Hindi conference to protest against the imposition of Hindi. It observed 13 October 1957 as "anti-Hindi day".^[39][40]

On 31 July 1960, another open-air anti-Hindi conference was held in Kodambakkam, Madras.^[41] In November 1963, DMK dropped its secessionist demand in the wake of the Sino-Indian War and the passage of the anti-secessionist 16th Amendment to the Indian Constitution. The anti-Hindi stance remained and hardened with the passage of Official Languages Act of 1963.^[42] The DMK's view on Hindi's eligibility for official language status were reflected in Annadurai's response to the "numerical superiority of Hindi" argument: "If we had to accept the principle of numerical superiority while selecting our national bird, the choice would have fallen not on the peacock but on the common crow."^[43]

Formation of state government

In the 1967 assembly election, DMK came to power in the Madras State, 18 years after its formation and 10 years after it had first entered electoral politics. This began the Dravidian era in the Madras province, which later became Tamil Nadu. In 1967, the Congress lost nine states to opposition parties, but it was only in Madras that a single non-Congress Party won a majority.^[44] The electoral victory of 1967 is also reputed to be an electoral fusion among the non-Congress parties to avoid a split in the opposition votes. Rajagopalachari, a former senior leader of the Congress Party, had by then left the Congress and launched the right-wing Swatantra Party. He played a vital role in bringing about the electoral fusion amongst the opposition parties to align against the Congress.^[45] Following the DMK's victory in the 1967 election, Annadurai formed a cabinet that was the youngest in India at the time.^[46]

Other achievements

Self-respect marriages were legalized in India during Annadurai's tenure. Such marriages did not involve priests presiding over the ceremonies, and thus a Brahmin was not needed to carry out the wedding.^[47] Self-respect marriages were a brainchild of Periyar, who regarded the then conventional marriages as mere financial arrangements which led to great debt through dowry in many cases. Self-respect marriages, according to him, encouraged inter-caste marriages and caused arranged marriages to be replaced by love marriages.^[48]

Annadurai's party was among the first in India to include a promise of subsidized rice in its election manifesto. He promised one rupee a measure of rice, which he initially implemented once in government, but had to withdraw later. Subsidizing rice costs are still used as an election promise in Tamil Nadu.^[49]

It was Annadurai's government that renamed Madras State to Tamil Nadu, its present-day name. The name change itself was first presented in the Rajya Sabha by Bhupesh Gupta, a communist MP from West Bengal, but was then defeated.^[50] With Annadurai as chief minister, the state assembly succeeded in passing the bill renaming the state.^{[citation needed]}

Annadurai's government introduced a two-language policy, favoring Tamil and English over Hindi, which marked a significant shift from the previously proposed three language formula. The three-language formula, which was implemented in the neighboring states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, mandated students to study three languages: the regional language, English, and Hindi.^[51]

M. Karunanidhi era (1969–2018)

Dr. M. Karunanidhi
Former President of the party

Main article: M. Karunanidhi

In 1969, after Annadurai's death, M. Karunanidhi was elected as his successor, defeating rival candidate V. R. Nedunchezhiyan. Karunanidhi headed the DMK until his own death in 2018.^[15] He was also appointed as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on 10 February 1969, sworn in by then Governor Sardar Ujjal Singh.^[52]

In the 1970s, M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R.), a popular actor and the party treasurer, had a political feud with the party president Karunanidhi. In 1972, M.G.R. called for a boycott of the party's General Council. The crisis led to a call for a corruption probe by M.G.R. leading to his suspension from the General Council by the high-power committee of DMK.^{[citation needed]} M.G.R. left the DMK and created a new political party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).^[53]

In 1976, during the emergency period,^[54] prime minister Indira Gandhi dismissed the Karunanidhi government,^[55] fifty days before his tenure ended, citing failure to maintain law and order, implement emergency measures, uphold national discipline, and promote economic development.^[56][57] The Sarkaria commission later investigated the DMK government for alleged irregularities in awarding tenders related to the Veeranam drainage project.^[58] However, no corruption charges were formally proven against Karunanidhi in the court.^[59][60]

The interim report of the Jain Commission, which oversaw the investigation into Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, indicted Karunanidhi for abetting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).^[61] The interim report recommended that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the DMK party be held responsible for abetting Rajiv Gandhi's murderers. The final report contained no such allegations.^[62]

Elections under Karunanidhi's presidency

• DMK lost the 1977 Assembly elections to the AIADMK, and stayed out of power in the state until 1989.^[63] After MGR's death in December 1987, AIADMK split into two factions led by MGR's wife Janaki and Jayalalithaa. The DMK returned to power in the 1989 state assembly elections and for the third time, Karunanidhi took over as the chief minister in January 1989.
• The 1991 Lok Sabha election was held with the backdrop of DMK government having dissolved within two years of formation due to pressure from ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi leading an alliance with Samajwadi Janata Party. In the same year, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber during his election campaign, and due to DMK's pro-Tamil stance and the dismissal of the state government mid-campaign by Rajiv, public sentiments were against DMK and instead in favor of the AIADMK–Congress alliance, causing the DMK to not win any seats in the Parliament.
• In the 1996 state elections, DMK came to power on strength of corruption charges against Jayalalithaa and their alliance with Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), headed by G.K. Moopanar.
• In 2001, the AIADMK, on strength of a strong alliance and anti-incumbency factor against DMK, came back to power in the state assembly elections.
• In the 2004 general election, DMK formed an alliance with Congress, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). The alliance won all 40 seats of the state including Puducherry. The DMK held 7 ministerial posts in the central government cabinet.
• Two years later in 2006, the same alliance won in the state assembly elections and the DMK formed a minority government in the state with help from Congress. M Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister of the state for the fifth time. The DMK-Congress alliance was also successful in the 2009 general elections.
• In the 2011 Assembly elections, held in the wake of the 2G case and allegations of nepotism, the DMK won only 23 seats, 127 seats less than earlier.
• In the 2014 general election, DMK failed to win any seats.
• In the 2016 state assembly elections, DMK won 89 seats. This was the most number for a single opposition party in the history of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.

Favouritism towards family members

Karunanidhi has faced accusations and criticism of favouring family members for prominent political and constitutional positions. His supporters have denied these allegations, describing the appointments as based on political trust and experience.^[64] Karunanidhi's nephew, Murasoli Maran, was a Union Minister under multiple governments.^[65] M. K. Stalin was elected as the Mayor of Chennai and later as the deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu.^[66] Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi has been appointed as the Rajya Sabha MP twice in 2007 and 2013.^[67][68] Karunanidhi's nephew's son Dayanidhi Maran had been appointed as a Union Minister in 2004.^[69] Karunanidhi's grandson, M. K. Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has been elected as an MLA in the state assembly.^[70] Karunanidhi is also accused of allowing Azhagiri to function as an extraconstitutional authority in Madurai.^[71]

M. K. Stalin era (2018–present)

Main article: M. K. Stalin

Karunanidhi died on 7 August 2018, leaving the party in the hands of his son, M. K. Stalin. Stalin had been appointed as the working president in January 2017 when his father's health started declining and had previously been named heir apparent by his father. Stalin thus became the second DMK president since the party's inception.^[72]

M. K. Stalin
Chief minister of Tamil Nadu & President of the party

On 25 March 2018, the DMK held a statewide conference in Erode and M. K. Stalin released five slogans at the conference. They were:^[73][74][75]

1. Let us keep an eye on the Kalaignar's command
2. Let us grow and admire Tamil
3. Let us crush the power pile
4. Let us protect humanity from extremism
5. Let us grow a prosperous Tamil Nadu

Elections under M.K. Stalin presidency

• In the 2019 general election,^[76][77] DMK contested as part of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Indian National Congress. The alliance secured 38 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu with a 52% vote share.^[78][79] and won in Puducherry.^[80][81]
• The DMK-led Secular Progressive alliance secured a majority in the 2019 Tamil Nadu local body elections.^[82][83]
• In the 2021 state assembly election, the Secular Progressive Alliance won a majority by securing 159 seats out of 234 seats with a 46% vote share.^[84][85][86] Analysts partly attributed the victory to political developments within the AIADMK, including the rise and decline of V.K. Sasikala, and subsequent internal leadership challenges.^[19]
• In the 2024 general election, as part of the INDIA Alliance, the DMK contested 21 constituencies. The alliance won all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, resulting in a clean sweep in the region.^[87]

Party ideology

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam follows the principle of Duty, Dignity, and Discipline, as instructed by C. N. Annadurai. This involves protecting democratic rights in politics, establishing a non-dominant society, and carrying out reform work based on rationality to promote the revival of Dravidian ideology. The party aims to overcome poverty in the economic sphere and provide means for the well-being of all on an equitable basis. The party also aims to develop and promote the respective state languages without allowing other languages to dominate. The party believes in promoting the decentralization of powers from the Union government and creating autonomy in the states and federalism at the center.^[88]

Dravidian nationalism

The anti-Hindi Imposition agitations of 1965 forced the central government to abandon its efforts to use Hindi as the only official language of the country.

State autonomy

After The Emergency invoked by Indira Gandhi, more state powers like education and medical care were moved from state control to national control. At the state conference in Trichy after the death of Annadurai, Karunanidhi announced the adoption of the "state autonomy" principle to advocate for state self-governance. In April 1974, the DMK government brought in a resolution in the House urging the centre to accept the Rajamannar Committee recommendations on state autonomy and amend the Constitution of India to pave the way for a truly federal system.^[1]

Social justice

The DMK has been involved in the protest for OBC reservation, ensuring the provision legalizing OBC reservation.^[89][90] The party holds OBC welfare as a tenet of its core ideology^[91] and has implemented reservation related policies in favour of OBCs ^[92] and SCs.^[93]

The DMK reconstituted the disabled persons welfare board to Differently Abled Persons Departments and changed official terms for transgender individuals to more respectful terms like "Thirunangai" and "Thirunambi".^[94]

Party symbol

The party's election symbol is the "sun rising from between two mountains", with a black and red flag pictured. The symbol was inspired by the Karunanidhi's 1950s play Udaya Suryan and is intended to signify the "rising" spirit of the Dravidian people.^[95]

In the 1957 poll, the DMK was not recognized by the Election Commission. The party was grouped as independents and was not united by its rising sun symbol and was forced to contest under the rooster symbol.^[96]

Electoral history

Lok Sabha Elections

Year	Party leader	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Popular vote	Outcome
1962	C. N. Annadurai	7 / 41	5	18.64%	2,315,610	Opposition
1967		25 / 25	18	51.79%	7,996,264
1971	M. Karunanidhi	23 / 23	2	55.61%	8,869,095	Government
1977		1 / 19	22	37.84%	6,758,517	Opposition
1980		16 / 16	15	55.89%	10,290,515	Government
1984		2 / 28	14	37.04%	8,006,513	Opposition
1989		0 / 32	2	33.78%	8,918,905	Lost
1991		0 / 29		27.64%	6,823,581
1996		17 / 18	17	54.96%	14,940,474	Government
1998		6 / 18	11	42.72%	10,937,809	Opposition
1999		12 / 18	6	46.41%	12,638,602	Government
2004		16 / 16	4	57.40%	16,483,390
2009		18 / 21	2	42.54%	12,929,043
2014		0 / 34	18	23.16%	10,243,767	Lost
2019	M. K. Stalin	24 / 24	24	32.76%	14,363,332	Opposition
2024		22 / 22	2	26.93%	11,689,879	Opposition

All time–DMK Lok Sabha seat count

Legislative Assembly elections

Year	Party leader	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Popular vote	Outcome
Puducherry
1974	M. Karunanidhi	2 / 30	2		47,823	Opposition
1977		3 / 30	1		30,441
1980		14 / 30	11		68,030	Government
1985		5 / 30	9		87,754	Others
1990		9 / 30	4		101,127	Government
1991		4 / 30	5		96,607	Opposition
1996		7 / 30	3		105,392	Government
2001		7 / 30			83,679	Opposition
2006		7 / 30				Government
2011		3 / 30	4	10.68%	74,552	Opposition
2016		2 / 30	1	8.9%	70,836	Government
2021	M. K. Stalin	6 / 30	4	18.51%	154,858	Opposition
Tamil Nadu
1962	C. N. Annadurai	50 / 205	37	27.10%	3,435,633	Opposition
1967		137 / 234	87	40.69%	6,230,556	Government
1971	M. Karunanidhi	184 / 234	47	48.58%	7,654,935
1977		48 / 234	136	24.89%	4,258,771	Opposition
1980		37 / 234	11	22.1%	4,164,389
1984		24 / 234	13	29.3%	6,362,770	Others
1989		150 / 234	116	37.89%	9,135,220	Government
1991		2 / 234	148	22.5%	5,535,668	Others
1996		173 / 234	171	53.77%	14,600,748	Government
2001		31 / 234	142	30.90%	8,669,864	Opposition
2006		96 / 234	65	26.50%	8,728,716	Minority Government
2011		23 / 234	73	22.40%	8,249,991	Others
2016		89 / 234	66	31.39%	13,670,511	Opposition
2021	M. K. Stalin	133 / 234	44	37.7%	17,430,179	Government

All time–DMK Assembly seat count (Tamil Nadu)

All time–DMK Assembly seat count (Puducherry)

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections

Year	Assembly	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Vote swing	Popular vote	Outcome
1972	5th	M. Karunanidhi	3	0 / 287		0.26%		36,466	Lost
1978	6th		2	0 / 294		0.03%	0.23%	6,547

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Elections

Year	Assembly	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Vote swing	Popular vote	Outcome
1978	6th	M. Karunanidhi	3	0 / 224		0.13%		16,437	Lost

Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections

Year	Assembly	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Vote swing	Popular vote	Outcome
1970	4th	M. Karunanidhi	1	0 / 133		0.02%		1,682	Lost

Current office bearers and prominent members

Member	Position in Government	Party Position
M. K. Stalin	Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Member of the Legislative Assembly from Kolathur Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu	President
Duraimurugan	Minister for Water Resources of Tamil Nadu Member of the Legislative Assembly from Katpadi Leader of the House in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly	General Secretary
T. R. Baalu	Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Sriperumbudur Former Minister of Shipping of the Republic of India Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha	Treasurer and Lok Sabha Leader
K. N. Nehru	Minister for Municipal Administration Member of the Legislative Assembly from Tiruchirappalli West	Party Principal Secretary
I. Periyasamy	Minister for Rural Administration MLA from Aathoor	Deputy General Secretary
Tiruchi Siva[97][98]	Leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha	Deputy General Secretary
A. Raja	Member of Parliament (LS) from Nilgiris Former Union Minister for Information Technology	Deputy General Secretary
Anthiyur P. Selvaraj	Member of Rajya Sabha, Former State Minister for Handlooms and Textile	Deputy General Secretary
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi	Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thoothukkudi Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha	Deputy General Secretary and Parliamentary Chairperson
R. S. Bharathi[99]	Former Member of Parliament (RS) Former Chairman of Alandur Municipality	Organization Secretary
T. K. S. Elangovan[100]	Former Member of Parliament (RS)	Official Spokesperson
Udhayanidhi Stalin	Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Minister for Planning and Development Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu Member of Legislative Assembly from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni	Youth Wing Secretary
Dr. T R B Rajaa	Minister for Industries,Investments and Commerce Member of Legislative Assembly from Mannargudi	Information Technology Wing Secretary
Helena Davidson	Former Member of Parliament (LS) from Kanniyakumari	Women's Wing Secretary
CVMP Ezhilarasan	Member of Legislative Assembly from Kancheepuram	Students' Wing Secretary
Dayanidhi Maran	Member of Parliament (LS) from Central Chennai Former Union Minister for Information Technology	Sports Wing Secretary
Palanivel Thiagarajan	Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Madurai Central	Assets Committee Secretary
Dr Ezhilan Naganathan	Member of Legislative Assembly from Thousand Lights	Medical Wing Secretary
M M Abdulla	Member of Parliament (RS)	NRI Wing Secretary

List of party leaders

Presidents

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	27 July 1969	3 January 2017	47 years, 160 days
	M. K. Stalin (born in 1953)	28 August 2018	incumbent	7 years, 92 days

Working President

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office |-			1 M. K. Stalin (born in 1953)	4 January 2017	27 August 2018	1 year, 235 days

General Secretaries

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969)	17 September 1949	24 April 1955	13 years, 350 days
			25 September 1960	3 February 1969
2		V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1920–2000)	24 April 1955	24 September 1960	13 years, 254 days
			4 February 1969	16 May 1977
3		K. Anbazhagan (1922–2020)	17 May 1977	7 March 2020	42 years, 295 days
4		Duraimurugan (born in 1938)	9 September 2020	Incumbent	5 years, 80 days

List of chief ministers

Chief Minister of Madras State

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Assembly (Election)	Elected constituency	Ministry
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969)	6 March 1967	13 January 1969	1 year, 313 days	4th (1967)	Member of the Legislative Council	Annadurai

Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu

Further information: List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Ministry	Constituency	Assembly Election
			Start	End	Duration in days
1		C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969)	14 January 1969	3 February 1969	20 days	Annadurai	Tamil Nadu Legislative Council	4th (1967)
Acting		V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1910–1988)	3 February 1969	10 February 1969	7 days	Nedunchezhiyan I	Triplicane	4th (1967)
2		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	10 February 1969	14 March 1971	2 years, 32 days	Karunanidhi I	Saidapet	4th (1967)
			15 March 1971	31 January 1976	4 years, 322 days	Karunanidhi II		5th (1971)
			27 January 1989	30 January 1991	2 years, 3 days	Karunanidhi III	Harbour	11th (1989)
			13 May 1996	13 May 2001	5 years, 0 days	Karunanidhi IV	Chepauk	11th (1996)
			13 May 2006	15 May 2011	5 years, 2 days	Karunanidhi V		13th (2006)
3		M. K. Stalin[101][102] (born 1953)	7 May 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 205 days	Stalin	Kolathur	16th (2021)

List of deputy chief ministers

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Further information: List of deputy chief ministers of Tamil Nadu

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Assembly (Election)	Elected constituency	Chief Minister
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		M. K. Stalin (1953–)	29 May 2009	15 May 2011	1 year, 351 days	13th (2006)	Thousand Lights	M. Karunanidhi
2		Udhayanidhi Stalin (1977–)	28 September 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 61 days	16th (2021)	Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni	M. K. Stalin

Chief Ministers of Puducherry

Further information: List of chief ministers of Puducherry

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			(Assembly) (Election)	Appointed by (Lieutenant Governor)
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		M. O. H. Farook (1937–2012)	Kalapet	17 March 1969	2 January 1974	4 years, 291 days	3rd (1969 election)	B. D. Jatti
2		M. D. R. Ramachandran (Unknown)	Mannadipet	16 January 1980	23 June 1983	3 years, 158 days	6th (1980 election)	B. T. Kulkarni
3				8 March 1990	2 March 1991	359 days	8th (1990 election)	Chandrawati
4		R. V. Janakiraman (1941–2019)	Nellithope	26 May 1996	21 March 2000	3 years, 300 days	10th (1996 election)	Rajendra Kumari Bajpai

List of Leaders of the Opposition

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Assembly (Election)	Appointed by (Speaker)
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	Anna Nagar	25 July 1977	17 February 1980	5 years, 259 days	6th (1977)	Munu Adhi
				27 June 1980	18 August 1983		7th (1980)	K. Rajaram
2		K. Anbazhagan (1922–2020)	Harbour	24 May 2001	14 April 2006	4 years, 325 days	12th (2001)	K. Kalimuthu
3		M. K. Stalin (born 1953)	Kolathur	4 June 2016	3 May 2021	4 years, 333 days	15th (2016)	P. Dhanapal

Pondicherry/Puducherry Legislative Assembly

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Assembly ((election))
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		R.V. Janakiraman	Nellithope	22 March 2000	15 May 2001	1 year, 54 days	10th (1996 election)
				16 May 2001	11 May 2006	4 years, 360 days	11th (2001 election)
2		A. M. H. Nazeem	Karaikal	29 May 2006	May 2011	5 years, 0 days	12th (2006 election)
3		R. Siva	Villianur	8 May 2021[103]	Incumbent	4 years, 204 days	15th (2021 election)

Madras State Legislative Assembly

Leader of the Opposition	Term Start	Term End	Duration
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan	29 March 1962	28 February 1967	4 years, 337 days

List of Speakers & Deputy Speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

No.	Name	Deputy Speaker	Took office	Left office	Duration
1	Pulavar K. Govindan	G. R. Edmund	22 February 1969	14 March 1971	2 years, 20 days
		N. Ganapathy	3 August 1973	3 July 1977	3 years, 334 days
2	K. A. Mathiazagan	P. Seenivasan	24 March 1971	2 December 1972	1 year, 253 days
Acting	P. Seenivasan (Acting Speaker)		2 December 1972	3 August 1973	1 year, 172 days
3	M. Tamilkudimagan	V. P. Duraisamy	8 February 1989	30 June 1991	2 years, 172 days
4	P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan	Parithi Ilamvazhuthi	23 May 1996	21 May 2001	4 years, 363 days
5	R. Avudaiappan	V. P. Duraisamy	19 May 2006	15 May 2011	4 years, 361 days
6	M. Appavu	K. Pitchandi	12 May 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 200 days

List of union cabinet ministers

V. P. Singh ministry (1989–90)

Further information: V. P. Singh ministry

#	Portrait		Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Portfolio	Ministry	Prime Minister
				From	To	Period
1			Murasoli Maran (1934–2003) MP for Chennai South	2 December 1989	10 November 1990	343 days	Minister of Urban Development	Vishwanath	V. P. Singh

H.D Devegowda Ministry (1996–97)

Further information: Deve Gowda ministry

No.	Portrait	Portfolio	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Constituency (House)	Prime Minister
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Minister of Industry	Murasoli Maran (1934–2003)	1 June 1996	21 April 1997	324 days	Chennai Central (Lok Sabha)	H. D. Deve Gowda
2		Minister of Surface Transport	T. G. Venkatraman (1931–2013)	1 June 1996	21 April 1997	324 days	Tindivanam (Lok Sabha)
3		Minister of Defence (MoS)	N. V. N. Somu (–)	6 July 1996	21 April 1997	289 days	Chennai North (Lok Sabha)
4		Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoS)	T. R. Baalu (born 1941)	6 July 1996	21 April 1997	289 days	Chennai South (Lok Sabha)

I.K Gujral Ministry (1997–98)

Further information: Gujral ministry

No.	Portrait	Portfolio	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Constituency (House)	Prime Minister
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Minister of Industry	Murasoli Maran (1934–2003)	21 April 1997	19 March 1998	332 days	Chennai Central (Lok Sabha)	I. K. Gujral
2		Minister of Surface Transport	T. G. Venkatraman (1931–2013)	21 April 1997	19 March 1998	332 days	Tindivanam (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Urban Affairs & Employment		14 November 1997	12 December 1997	28 days
3		Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoS)	T. R. Baalu (born 1941)	21 April 1997	19 March 1998	332 days	Chennai South (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MoS)		11 January 1998	19 March 1998	67 days
4		Minister of Defence (MoS)	N. V. N. Somu (–)	21 April 1997	14 November 1997 (died in office)	207 days	Chennai North (Lok Sabha)

Third Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ministry (1999–2004)

Further information: Third Vajpayee ministry

No.	Portrait	Portfolio	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Constituency (House)	Prime Minister
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Minister of Commerce & Industry	Murasoli Maran (1934–2003)	13 October 1999	9 November 2002	3 years, 27 days	Chennai Central (Lok Sabha)	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
		Minister without portfolio		9 November 2002	23 November 2003	1 year, 14 days
2		Minister of Environment & Forests	T. R. Baalu (born 1941)	13 October 1999	21 December 2003	4 years, 69 days	Chennai South (Lok Sabha)
3		Minister of Rural Development (MoS)	A. Raja (born 1963)	13 October 1999	30 September 2001	1 year, 352 days	Perambalur (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Health & Family Welfare (MoS)		30 September 2000	21 December 2003	3 years, 82 days

First Manmohan Singh Ministry (2004–2009)

Further information: First Manmohan Singh ministry

No.	Portrait	Portfolio	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Constituency (House)	Prime Minister
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Minister of Environment and Forests	A. Raja (born 1963)	23 May 2004	15 May 2007	2 years, 357 days	Perambalur (Lok Sabha)	Manmohan Singh
		Minister of Communications & Information Technology		15 May 2007	22 May 2009	2 years, 7 days
2		Minister of Communications & Information Technology	Dayanidhi Maran (born 1966)	23 May 2004	15 May 2007	2 years, 357 days	Chennai Central (Lok Sabha)
3		Minister of Road Transport and Highways	T. R. Baalu (born 1941)	23 May 2004	22 May 2009	4 years, 364 days	Chennai South (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Shipping		25 May 2004	2 September 2004[a]	100 days
4		Minister of Law and Justice (MoS)	K. Venkatapathy (born 1946)	23 May 2004	22 May 2009	4 years, 364 days	Cuddalore (Lok Sabha)
5		Minister of Home Affairs (MoS)	S. Regupathy (born 1950)	23 May 2004	15 May 2007	2 years, 357 days	Pudukkottai (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Environment and Forests (MoS)		15 May 2007	22 May 2009	2 years, 7 days
6		Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoS)	S. S. Palanimanickam (born 1950)	23 May 2004	25 May 2004	2 days	Thanjavur (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of Finance (Revenue, from 29 January 2006) (MoS)		25 May 2004	22 May 2009	4 years, 362 days
7		Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoS)	Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan (born 1947)	23 May 2004	22 May 2009	4 years, 364 days	Tiruchengode (Lok Sabha)
8		Minister of Home Affairs (MoS)	V. Radhika Selvi (born 1976)	18 May 2007	22 May 2009	2 years, 4 days	Tiruchendur (Lok Sabha)

Second Manmohan Singh Ministry (2009–2014)

Further information: Second Manmohan Singh ministry

No.	Portrait	Portfolio	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office			Constituency (House)	Prime Minister
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Minister of Communications & Information Technology	A. Raja (born 1963)	28 May 2009	15 November 2010 [104][105][106]	1 year, 171 days	Nilgiris (Lok Sabha)	Manmohan Singh
2		Minister of Textiles	Dayanidhi Maran (born 1966)	28 May 2009	12 July 2011 [107][108]	2 years, 45 days	Chennai Central (Lok Sabha)
3		Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers	M. K. Alagiri (born 1951)	28 May 2009	21 March 2013[109]	3 years, 297 days	Madurai (Lok Sabha)
4		Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoS)	D. Napoleon (born 1963)				Perambalur (Lok Sabha)
5		Minister of Health & Family Welfare (MoS)	S. Gandhiselvan (born 1963)				Namakkal (Lok Sabha)
6		Minister of Finance (Revenue) (MoS)	S. S. Palanimanickam (born 1950)				Thanjavur (Lok Sabha)
7		Minister of Information & Broadcasting (MoS)	S. Jagathrakshakan (born 1950)	28 May 2009	28 October 2012	3 years, 153 days	Arakkonam (Lok Sabha)
		Minister of New & Renewable Energy (MoS)		28 October 2012	2 November 2012	5 days
		Minister of Commerce & Industry (MoS)		2 November 2012	21 March 2013[110]	139 days

List of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha

Further information: Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Lok Sabha (Election)	Speaker	Assumed office	Left office	Time in office	Prime Minister
	G. Lakshmanan (1924–2001)	Chennai North	7th (1980)	Balram Jakhar (INC)	1 December 1980	31 December 1984	4 years, 30 days	Indira Gandhi

Splits and offshoots

There are two major parties that have been formed as a result of splits from the DMK, which are

• All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), founded on 17 October 1972 by the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R.).
• Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), founded on 6 May 1994 by Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Vaiko.

Political lineage and offsprings of DMK

Justice Party 1917

Self-respect movement 1925

Dravidar Kazhagam 1944

Justice Party (PTR)

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 1949

Tamil National Party 1962

Merger with Indian National Congress 1964

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 17 October 1972

Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam 1974

Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 1977

Merger with AIADMK 1977

M.G.R.'s death on 24 December 1987

AIADMK Jayalalithaa faction

AIADMK Janaki faction

Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani 1988

Merger with Janata Dal 1989

AIADMK unifies again Janaki's faction dissolved and merged with Jayalalithaa's faction 1989

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 1994

MGR Kazhagam 1995

MGR Anna DMK 1996

Merger with Bharatiya Janata Party 2002

Major Dravidian parties that are currently active

Dravidar Kazhagam

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Media

Tmt. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi
Deputy General Secretary of the party

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party runs two newspapers: an English weekly named The Rising Sun and a Tamil daily named Murasoli.^[111]

Kalaignar TV is a TV channel group started on 15 September 2007 and managed by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Dayalu Ammal, the daughter and wife of Karunanidhi. The group has multiple sister channels: Kalaignar Isai Aruvi (24×7 Tamil music channel), Kalaignar Seithigal (24×7 Tamil news channel), Kalaignar Sirippoli (24×7 Tamil comedy channel), Kalaignar Chithiram (24×7 Tamil cartoon channel), Kalaignar Murasu(24×7 Tamil movie channel) and Kalaignar Asia.^[112]

See also

• Politics of Tamil Nadu
• All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
• 2G spectrum case
• Granite scam in Tamil Nadu
• Controversy of arrests in Tamil Nadu about construction of flyovers
• Dinakaran attack
• Leelavathi murder
• Kallakudi demonstration
• Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
• Politics of India
• List of political parties in India
• Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance