It was evident by this time that Stalin had been ‘chosen’ by Karunanidhi as his political heir. Stalin’s elder brother Azhagiri was relocated to Madurai to look after the Madurai edition of party mouthpiece Murasoli, though many saw it as a move to clear the path for Stalin.

In 1996, Stalin was appointed the mayor of Madras City Corporation, even as he served as the MLA from Thousand Lights constituency. While Stalin won both as mayor and MLA again in 2001, Karunanidhi was by then replaced by AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa. She brought in two amendments that barred anyone from holding two elected posts simultaneously.

In the meantime, Azhagiri had gained in prominence. When his choice of candidates was overlooked, the official candidates including DMK heavyweights lost the 2001 elections. Things turned ugly when supporters of the brothers refused to work together either in the party or as elected members in local bodies.

A truce was achieved in 2004, when the DMK and the alliance it led swept the general elections. In 2006, his fourth term as MLA, Stalin was made the state Local Administration and Rural Development Minister. In the party ranks, he was the deputy general secretary, number four in the hierarchy. The Maran-owned Dinakaran daily survey that put him as the top contender to succeed Karunanidhi was not unexpected, nor was Azhagiri’s place at the bottom. In the stir that followed, three staff members of the daily were killed in arson at their Madurai edition office and Dayanidhi Maran was removed as the Cabinet Minister for IT and Telecom. Stalin later tried to broker peace between Karunanidhi and the Marans, which finally took place last December. He had also been elected as the DMK treasurer, a position once held by Karunanidhi and MGR, third in line after president Karunanidhi and general secretary K Anbazhagan.

... contd.