DMK Announces New Assembly Team With Udhayanidhi Stalin at the Helm

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has formally appointed Udhayanidhi Stalin as its legislature party leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, marking a key organisational reshuffle after the recent House composition was finalised.

Senior party leader K. N. Nehru has been named deputy legislature party leader, while former minister E. V. Velu will serve as the party whip, party sources said on Sunday.

The DMK, with 59 MLAs , will function as the principal opposition in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.

In related developments inside the House, Udhayanidhi Stalin also took oath as an MLA during the Assembly proceedings. Visuals from the session showed him participating in the formal oath-taking ceremony before taking his seat with fellow DMK legislators.

During the proceedings, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay whose political formation has emerged as the ruling bloc after securing support from Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and IUML to reach 120 MLAs was present in the House.

In a moment that drew attention inside the Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin was seen briefly avoiding direct eye contact with Chief Minister Vijay, appearing to look around the chamber while taking his seat after the oath ceremony. The interaction, as observed in visuals, came amid the formalities of the newly constituted House.

Although TVK did not secure an absolute majority on its own in the 234-member Assembly, its alliance strength has enabled it to cross the 118-seat majority mark and form the government.