Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, has been elevated to Deputy Chief Minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle that also sees the return of V. Senthil Balaji to the council of ministers, just two days after securing bail in a money laundering case.
Udhayanidhi has been promoted amid growing calls within the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, particularly with an eye on the 2026 Assembly elections. The 46-year-old has been considered a potential future Chief Minister, following in the footsteps of his father and late grandfather and former CM M. Karunanidhi.
According to a Raj Bhavan release, Stalin “recommended to the Governor of Tamil Nadu (Ravi) to allot the portfolio of Planning and Development to Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, in addition to his existing portfolios and be designated as Deputy Chief Minister.”
Udhayanidhi is also the DMK’s Youth Wing chief and has produced and starred in several popular Tamil films.
Senthil Balaji’s return to the cabinethttps://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/fire-breaks-out-at-tata-electronics-factory-in-tamil-nadu/3624663/ comes after the Supreme Court granted him bail on Thursday, ending his 471-day incarceration related to the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering investigation. He had previously served as the Minister for Electricity and Excise.
As part of the reshuffle, Governor RN Ravi approved the removal of several ministers, including T. Mano Thangaraj (Milk and Dairy Development), Gingee S. Masthan (Minorities Welfare), and K. Ramachandran (Tourism). New inductees to the cabinet include Dr. Govi Chezhiaan, R. Rajendran, and S.M. Nasar.
The swearing-in ceremony for the newly designated ministers will be held on Sunday at 3:30 PM at the Raj Bhavan. Additionally, several ministerial portfolios have been reassigned, including Dr. K. Ponmudy, who now oversees Forests, and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, who has been given the Environment and Climate Change portfolio.