M. K. Stalin

He began his political career in the late 1960s and was elected to the DMK's general committee in 1973. He was jailed during the Emergency in 1976. He became the secretary of the party's youth wing in 1982, a post he held for over three decades. He served as the Mayor of Chennai from 1996 to 2002. He has been elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly eight times, and served as the state's first Deputy Chief Minister from 2009 to 2011. Stalin is married to Durga, and their son Udhayanidhi served as the deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2024 to 2026. In 2009, Anna University conferred an honorary doctorate on Stalin. In 2025, The Indian Express named him as India's 23rd most powerful personality.

Stalin studied at Presidency College, University of Madras and Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. The recorded working language is Tamil. Residence is recorded at Chennai. Positions recorded include Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu.

• Office — Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu • Order — 8th • Term Start — 7 May 2021 • Term End — 9 May 2026 • Deputy — Udhayanidhi Stalin • Governor — * Banwarilal Purohit • R. N. Ravi • Rajendra Arlekar • Predecessor — Edappadi K. Palaniswami • Successor — C. Joseph Vijay Additional ministries • 1blankname1 — Ministry and Departments • 1namedata1 — * Public • General Administration • Indian Administrative Service • Indian Police Service • Indian Forest Service • District Revenue Officers • Police • Home • Special Initiatives • Special Programme Implementation • Welfare of Differently Abled Persons • Office2 — Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu • Order2 — 1st • Term Start2 — 29 May 2009 • Term End2 — 15 May 2011 • Governor2 — Surjit Singh Barnala • Predecessor2 — Office established • Successor2 — O. Panneerselvam (in 2017) • 1blankname2 — Chief Minister • 1namedata2 — M. Karunanidhi Portfolios • 2blankname2 — Ministry and Departments • 2namedata2 — * General Administration • District Revenue Officers • Industries • Minorities Welfare • Social Reforms • Municipal Administration and Water Supply • Passports • Poverty Alleviation Programmes • Rural Development and Panchayat Raj • Special Initiatives • Office3 — 17th Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly • Term Start3 — 24 May 2016 • Term End3 — 6 May 2021 • Governor3 — * Konijeti Rosaiah • C. Vidyasagar Rao • Banwarilal Purohit • Predecessor3 — Vijayakanth • Successor3 — Edappadi K. Palaniswami • 1blankname3 — Chief Minister • 1namedata3 — * J. Jayalalithaa • O. Panneerselvam • Edappadi K Palaniswami • Office4 — Cabinet Minister in Tamil Nadu • Minister4 — Rural Development and Panchayati Raj • Term Start4 — 13 May 2006 • Term End4 — 15 May 2011 • 1blankname4 — Chief Minister • 1namedata4 — M. Karunanidhi • Predecessor4 — K. P. Anbalagan • Successor4 — P. Mohan • Office5 — 2nd President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Term Start5 — 28 August 2018 • 1blankname5 — General Secretary • 1namedata5 — * K. Anbazhagan • Durai Murugan • Predecessor5 — M. Karunanidhi • Office6 — Working President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Term Start6 — 4 January 2017 • Term End6 — 28 August 2018 • Predecessor6 — Position established • Successor6 — Position abolished • President6 — M. Karunanidhi • Office7 — Treasurer of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Term Start7 — 27 December 2008 • Term End7 — 27 August 2018 • Predecessor7 — Arcot N. Veeraswami • Successor7 — Durai Murugan • President7 — M. Karunanidhi • 1blankname7 — General Secretary • 1namedata7 — K. Anbazhagan • Office8 — Deputy General Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Term Start8 — 2 June 2003 • Term End8 — 26 December 2008 • 1blankname8 — General Secretary • Predecessor8 — Position established • Successor8 — Position abolished • President8 — M. Karunanidhi • 1namedata8 — K. Anbazhagan • Office9 — 45th Mayor of Chennai • Term Start9 — 25 October 1996 • Term End9 — 6 September 2002 • Predecessor9 — R. Arumugam (in 1973) • Successor9 — Karate R. Thiagarajan • Office11 — Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly • Term Start11 — 23 May 2011 • Term End11 — 4 May 2026 • Predecessor11 — Constituency established • Successor11 — V. S. Babu • Constituency11 — Kolathur • Term Start12 — 13 May 1996 • Term End12 — 15 May 2011 • Predecessor12 — K. A. Krishnaswamy • Successor12 — B. Valarmathi • Constituency12 — Thousand Lights • Term Start13 — 27 January 1989 • Predecessor13 — K. A. Krishnaswamy • Successor13 — K. A. Krishnaswamy • Term End13 — 30 January 1991 • Constituency13 — Thousand Lights • Office14 — Youth wing secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Term Start14 — 20 July 1982 • Term End14 — 6 July 2017 • Predecessor14 — Position established • Successor14 — M. P. Saminathan • President14 — M. Karunanidhi • 1blankname14 — General Secretary • 1namedata14 — K. Anbazhagan • Birth Name — Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin • Born — 1 March 1953 • Birthplace — Madras, India • Party — Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam • Children — 2, including Udhayanidhi • Father — M. Karunanidhi • Mother — Dayalu Ammal • Relatives — Karunanidhi family • Education — Presidency College, Madras (B.A.) • Website — mkstalin.in/

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was born on 1 March 1953 in Madras. He is the third son of M. Karunanidhi, who would later serve as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Dayalu Ammal. He was named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was educated at Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. He completed a pre-university course at Vivekananda College and obtained a degree in history from Presidency College in 1973. Stalin married Durga (alias Shantha) on 20 August 1975. They have two children: a son Udhayanidhi, who served as deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2024 till 2026. and daughter Senthamarai, an entrepreneur and education professional. Stalin describes himself as an atheist.

Stalin began his political career in his early teens when he, with some friends, founded the youth wing of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Gopalapuram. At 14 years old, he campaigned for his uncle, Murasoli Maran, in the 1967 Madras State Legislative Assembly election. In 1973, he was elected to the general committee of the DMK. In 1976, Stalin was jailed in Madras Central Prison under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protesting against the Emergency. Whilst in police custody, he endured torture which resulted in the death of his fellow prisoner C. Chittibabu. He wrote his final-year college exams whilst in prison. Stalin remained in custody until the Emergency's end in March 1977, when he and other political prisoners were freed. Testifying before the Justice M. M. Ismail Commission, Stalin said he was beaten and kicked while in custody, and that he was held with several other inmates in a single cell. Counsel for the jail staff disputed these claims during the hearing.

Stalin established the youth wing of the DMK in 1980 and became its secretary in 1982, a post he held for more than four decades. During the 1980s, he travelled across Tamil Nadu to encourage and mentor youth to join active politics. In 1989, he was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Thousand Lights Assembly constituency, and represented the constituency five times. In 2003, he became Deputy General Secretary of the DMK.

Stalin became the Mayor of Chennai in 1996. As mayor, he initiated the Singara Chennai (Beautiful Chennai) project to improve the city's infrastructure. He modernised the garbage disposal system by giving priority to cleaning works, and implemented development projects in areas such as health, public construction and schools. He built flyovers to address traffic congestion. During his first tenure, nine major flyovers and 49 bridges were constructed at a cost of. He also worked on improving the standard of corporation-run schools to be on par with private schools. Parks and fountains were set up at 18 major junctions, 81 parks were renovated, and saplings were planted at Marina Beach. His efforts in improving city infrastructure earned him the title of Managara Thanthai (father of the city). Stalin was re-elected Mayor for the second time in 2001. In 2002, the chief minister J. Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, which prevented a person from holding two elected posts in the government. Because Stalin was an elected member of the legislative assembly, this law was widely seen as an attempt to remove him as Chennai's mayor. Madras High Court later struck down the law but held as per the City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919, a person cannot be mayor for two consecutive terms, though unlike Stalin, earlier mayors were not directly elected. As a result, Stalin resigned from the post.

The DMK regained control of the state assembly in the 2006 assembly elections. Stalin became the minister for rural development and local administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu, and retained this office throughout his term. During his tenure, he expanded women's self-help groups across the state by establishing 175,493 new ones. He also established drinking water projects such as the Hogenakkal and Ramanathapuram water schemes. In 2008, he became the DMK's treasurer. On 29 May 2009, the Governor of Tamil Nadu Surjit Singh Barnala appointed Stalin the state's deputy chief minister. During his tenure, on 23 February 2011, the Government of Tamil Nadu received a special award for the best state among the largest states in India, and the diamond state award for best state in civil safety, drinking water and sanitation, and women's development. The state also won the most number of Nirmal Gram Awards for its exceptional role in maintaining sanitation in villages during Stalin's tenure as the minister of rural development.

In 2013, Karunanidhi announced Stalin as his successor to head the DMK and confirmed it in 2016. Ahead of the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Stalin went on a statewide tour titled Namakku Naame. He won the Kolathur constituency and was appointed opposition leader in the state legislative assembly. In 2017, Stalin went on another Namakku Naame tour. He was appointed as working president in January 2017 when the health of his father, Karunanidhi, started declining. In 2018, Karunanidhi died and Stalin became president of the DMK. Stalin formed the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu and led the alliance in the state in the 2019 Indian general election. The Secular Progressive Alliance won 39 out of 40 Parliament seats, and 12 out of 21 in the assembly by-elections, in the party's first victory since Stalin took charge as the DMK's president.

Stalin led the campaign for the Secular Progressive Alliance in the 2021 Assembly elections; it won 159 seats out of the 234, with the DMK winning 133 seats, an absolute majority. He was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on 7 May 2021, along with the rest of his cabinet. He also served as a member of the business advisory committee and committee on rules in the 16th Tamil Nadu assembly. After assuming office, Stalin implemented policies offering as one time COVID-19 relief to 20.7 million ration card holders across the state, free bus pass for travel in ordinary intra-city buses for women and reducing the retail price of Aavin milk. However, the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Association claimed that the decision to reduce the retail milk prices caused a significant financial loss to Aavin, and urging the chief minister to increase the milk procurement rates. He established a new economic advisory council that included economists Arvind Subramanian, Esther Duflo, Jean Drèze, Raghuram Rajan, and S Narayan. During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2021, Stalin established a war room to monitor the status of beds, ambulances, and oxygen supply. He visited the ESI medical college hospital against expert advice to meet up with patients getting treatment for COVID-19. The state had the lowest percentage of wastage of COVID-19 vaccines during the free public administration of the same. On 2 September 2021, actor and politician Chiranjeevi met with Stalin to commend him on governance efficacy, and stated that Stalin had proved his mettle in handling the pandemic. Stalin released the state's first ever standalone agricultural budget on 14 August 2021. Later in the day, he handed appointment orders from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to trained aspirants of all castes as temple priests in August 2021, quoting that Periyar fought for equal rights in worship for all believers in God. On 29 August 2021, he announced that the name of refugee camps of Sri Lankan Tamils would be changed to rehabilitation camps. In September 2021, Stalin announced Periyar's birthday would be celebrated annually as a 'Social Justice day'. Later in the month, his government withdrew over 5,570 legal cases filed by the previous government in the past ten years including cases against some journalists and those who were involved in protests against the new farm laws and the Citizenship Amendment Act promulgated by the union government, and various government projects such as Kaveri delta coal-bed methane project, India-based Neutrino Observatory, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, and Chennai-Salem expressway (ta). Later in the month, the Madras High Court commended Stalin for his decision to distribute school bags printed with the photos of his predecessor, and not reprinting them. On 18 November 2021, Stalin announced that the state government will bear the expenses of emergency care for all vehicle accident victims for the first 48 hours. In December 2021, he unveiled a real-time dashboard, which provided relevant information from all the government departments to the chief minister. In March 2022, Stalin launched the 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme aimed at providing psychological counselling and medical advice to school students. In May 2022, he welcomed the release of A. G. Perarivalan, who was convicted for the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. On 5 September 2022, he launched a women education support programme titled 'Pudhumai Penn', which offered a monthly stipend of to girls who had completed their schooling in state government schools during their graduation or diploma. The same was extended to boys later under the name of 'Tamil Pudhalavan' scheme on 14 June 2024. On 15 September 2022, his government extended the midday meal scheme in government schools to cover breakfast. Later in the month, he launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission aimed at increasing the green cover in the state from 23.7% to 33% in the next ten years. In September 2023, Stalin launched a women's welfare scheme titled 'Magalir Urimai Thittam', which provided a stipend of per month to all women aged 21 years and above, provided their annual household income is less than. Following the announcement earlier in 2021 that the state government planned to establish TIDEL neo Parks, information technology parks, at various places across Tamil Nadu, the first such park was opened in 2024. In March 2025, Stalin opposed the proposed three-language formula in schools under the National Education Policy, stating that there is "no place for Hindi" in Tamil Nadu. On 4 August 2025, Stalin inaugurated a manufacturing plant of the Vietnamese electric vehicle company, VinFast, at Thoothukudi, with an investment of US$2 billion. In December 2025, the state reported a nominal Gross State Domestic Product of at current prices for the financial year 2024–25, registering a 16% y-o-y growth. The real GSDP grew by 11.19%, the first time in 14 years that it had increased by more than ten percent. In February 2026, the Tamil Nadu economic survey projected that the state can become a US$1 trillion economy by 2031, in line with the state government's vision 2030. On 5 January 2026, the state government announced the re-launch of free laptop distribution scheme for state-run college students, which had been discontinued during the previous government. As per the 2021 Manifesto proposed by Stalin and following protests from state government employees to restore the Old Pension Scheme, which was discontinued in 2003, the government announced the introduction of a new assured pension scheme in January 2026. On 9 February 2026, Stalin inaugurated a Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover multi-energy vehicle plant in Ranipet, built at a cost of approximately US$1.1 billion (₹9,000 crore). In April 2026, the union government introduced a constitutional amendment bill to implement a reservation of one third of seats in the Indian parliament and state legislative assemblies to women based on the 2011 census rather than the 2027 census, increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats, and carry out a new delimitation of electoral constituencies. Stalin opposed the proposed amendment and called for protests, stating that it would reduce the representation of southern states in parliament due to their comparatively lower population growth compared to the northern states. However, while the union government verbally proposed a guarantee of 50% pro-rata increase uniformly for all states, which would have marginally improved the proportion of representation of southern states, the opposition protested the failure to include such terms in the original draft, and the coupling of women's reservation with the delimitation bill, and the bill was subsequently defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026. For 2025–26, the real GSDP real economy growth rate was reported at 10.83% per the data released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Following the defeat of the Stalin-led Secular Progressive Alliance in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Stalin submitted his resignation as the chief minister on 4 May 2026.

Stalin unsuccessfully contested the 1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, standing for the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai, to which he was first elected in 1989. In 1991, he contested the same seat for the third time and lost. He had been elected to the assembly consecutively six times since 1996. In the 2026 assembly election, he lost to V. S. Babu of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from Kolathur, a seat he had held since 2011. He became the first incumbent chief minister to lose the assembly elections in the state since Jayalalithaa in 1996. Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election • Year — Constituency — Party — Votes — % — Opponent — Party — Opponent Votes — % — Result — Margin — % • 2026 — Kolathur — Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam — 74,202 — 40.32 — V. S. Babu — Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — 82,997 — 45.09 — Lost — -8,795 — -4.77 • 2021 — 1,05,522 — 60.86 — Aadi Rajaram — AIADMK — 35,138 — 20.27 — 70,384 — 40.59 • 2016 — 91,303 — 54.25 — J. C. D. Prabhakar — 53,573 — 31.83 — 37,730 — 22.42 • 2011 — 68,677 — 48.35 — Saidai Duraisamy — 65,943 — 46.43 — 2,734 — 1.92 • 2006 — Thousand Lights — 49,817 — 46.00 — Aadi Rajaram — 47,349 — 43.72 — 2,468 — 2.28 • 2001 — 49,056 — 51.41 — S. Sekar — Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) — 41,782 — 43.78 — 7,274 — 7.63 • 1996 — 66,905 — 69.72 — Zeenath Sheriffdeen — AIADMK — 22,028 — 22.05 — 44,877 — 47.67 • 1991 — 38,445 — 39.19 — K. A. Krishnaswamy — 55,426 — 56.50 — Lost — -16,981 — -17.31 • 1989 — 50,818 — 50.59 — Thambidurai — 30,184 — 30.05 — 20,634 — 20.54 • 1984 — 43,954 — 47.86 — K. A. Krishnaswamy — 46,246 — 50.36 — Lost — -2,292 — -2.50

In August 2021, Stalin was ranked first among chief ministers of India in the India Today "Mood of the Nation" survey. The Indian Express named Stalin as India's 24th most powerful personality in 2022, and 23rd in 2025.

Stalin acted in the following films and television series: Ore Raththam (1987), Makkal Aanayittal (1988), Kurinji Malar and Suriya. He produced the film Nambikkai Natchathram (1978) starring his brother M. K. Muthu.

The authorities additionally record the headings Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin and MK Stalin. His recorded language was Tamil. His recorded confession was atheism. He was the child of Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Dayalu Ammal.