May 05, 2026 15:46 pm IST

Opinion | MK Stalin: The Strongman Who Dismissed His Opponent - And Paid For It

The DMK ecosystem kept dismissing Vijay's supporters as "tharkuris", that is, "idiots". It's this short-sightedness they are now paying for.

TS Sudhir TS Sudhir Columnist

The year was 2011, when the DMK found itself demolished by the AIADMK in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. That election, MK Stalin had moved from his traditional Thousand Lights seat to the newly created Kolathur constituency. Stalin was up against Saidai Duraisamy of the AIADMK, and it was a tense see-saw electoral battle as there were several delays during the counting process due to disputes over EVMs. 

Meanwhile, at the Karunanidhi residence in Gopalapuram, the then DMK chief was anxious because Stalin's defeat would mean a rejection of the next-in-command of the party. It was only when Stalin finally scraped through by a margin of some 2,700-odd votes that his father heaved a sigh of relief, even though the party was voted out of power.

Kolathur Gives, Kolathur Takes

Fifteen years later, Kolathur gave Stalin heartache once again, keeping him worried through the course of Monday. This time, however, there was no good news at the end of the counting process. Stalin suffered the ignominy - like M Bhaktavatsalam, the last Congress chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1967, and J Jayalalithaa in 1996 - of a sitting chief minister losing his own seat. VS Babu of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) defeated Stalin by 8,795 votes. Ironically, Babu is of the DMK DNA, having been a party MLA from Purasawalkam in........

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