New Delhi:
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday elected MK Stalin, the younger son of late party patriarch M Karunanidhi as DMK president at its general council meeting in Delhi. Earlier on Sunday, the 65-year-old DMK leader, who had been working as the party chief owing to his father's ill health, filed his nomination for the post of president. He was appointed ‘working president’ of the party in 2017.
Karunanidhi's death earlier in August has given birth to a succession war within the party after expelled party leader and Stalin's elder brother MK Alagiri threw an open challenge to his brother's leadership. In 2014, Alagiri was expelled from the DMK for his ‘anti-party activities’.
Read | DMK Succession War: Alagiri mounts challenge against Stalin for Karunanidhi’s political legacy
Here are the highlights on DMK General Council meeting:
# 02:07 pm: We had bigger threats from Jayalalithaa, a political party has to face such threats and succeed. Alagiri is a smaller threat for us, its a matter which will subside in due course: T. K. S. Elangovan, MP, DMK.
# 02:11 pm: DMK President MK Stalin and other party leaders pay tribute to M. Karunanidhi at his memorial on Marina beach.
# 01:35 pm: Today's political situation has come as a grave challenge. Education, art, literature, religion are under attack by authoritative and communal forces. Union govt is trying to destabilise judiciary, selection of governors. All this has dealt a blow to the secular principles, says MK Stalin, the newly elected DMK president.
Today's political situation has come as a grave challenge. Education, art, literature, religion are under attack by authoritative&communal forces. Union govt is trying to destabilise judiciary, selection of governors. All this has dealt a blow to the secular principles: MK Stalin pic.twitter.com/0qC8NTWaN0
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 01:05 pm: MK Stalin addresses DMK members at party headquarters after being elected as President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Chennai: MK Stalin addresses DMK members at party headquarters after being elected as President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/CWRoD71NWA
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 11:50 am: DMK workers in Coimbatore distribute sweets after MK Stalin was elected as the President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
#TamilNadu: DMK workers in Coimbatore distribute sweets after MK Stalin was elected as the President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) pic.twitter.com/V3annJ9cbn
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 11:38 am: DMK president MK Stalin will visit M Karunanidhi's memorial at Chennai's Marina beach later in the day.
#Visual from M Karunanidhi's memorial at Chennai's Marina beach where MK Stalin will visit later today. Stalin has been elected as President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/5sm4xVkC3S
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 11:31 am: Rahul Gandhi congratulates MK Stalin, says "Congratulations to Shri M K Stalin on being elected President of the DMK. I wish him happiness and success as he begins a new chapter in his political journey".
Congratulations to Shri M K Stalin on being elected President of the DMK. I wish him happiness & success as he begins a new chapter in his political journey. @mkstalin #DMKThalaivarStalin
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 28, 2018
# 10:58 am: DMK passes a resolution at party's General Council meeting urging the Union government to confer Bharat Ratna to former Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi.
Chennai: DMK passes a resolution at party's General Council meeting urging the Union government to confer Bharat Ratna to former Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/gUyaCcD9Kf
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 10:45 am: MK Stalin pays tribute to CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi after being elected as the President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at party headquarters.
# 10:41 am: Durai Murugan elected as the treasurer of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at party headquarters in Chennai.
Read | As new era dawns in DMK, Stalin faces new challenge
# 10:37 am: MK Stalin elected as President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at party headquarters in Chennai.
MK Stalin elected as President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at party headquarters in Chennai. #TamilNadu (Images source- Kalaignar TV) pic.twitter.com/TWrlVXDyDF
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 10:15 am: Former finance minister P Chidambaram congratulates Stalin. Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram said, "I am pleased to congratulate Mrs. Stalin, who will be nominated as DMK chief and selected tomorrow".
# 10:11 am: Two-minute silence observed at DMK General Council meeting at the party has to pay tribute to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi, former PM Atal Bihar Vajpayee, former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, former TN Guv Surjit Singh Barnala and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.
# 10:02 am: DMK General Council meeting underway at party headquarters in Chennai.
# 09:36 am: DMK leader MK Stalin arrives at party headquarters ahead of the General Council meeting in Chennai.
Chennai: DMK leader MK Stalin arrives at party headquarters ahead of General Council meeting. He has filed nomination for the post of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/DMBVMW1wC8
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 08:04 am:
Chennai: #Visuals from DMK headquarters ahead of party's General Council meeting. MK Stalin has filed nomination for the post of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/kXs0NKb1LV
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
# 07:54 am:
Chennai: #Visuals from DMK headquarters ahead of party's General Council meeting. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/BE18wYUABW
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018
