For decades leading up to 2021, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin was seen as a leader-in-waiting, biding his time under the shadow of his father, the late Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) titan, M. Karunanidhi. The 2026 assembly election, then, marks a distinct and more personal milestone for him and the DMK. The 73-year-old CM has completed his first term, and his bid to secure a second one places Stalin and his record in office under direct scrutiny.
