Udhayanidhi, son of MK Stalin, appointed DMK youth wing secretary

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin on Thursday appointed his son Udhayanidhi as party's youth wing secretary, a position he held for 35 long years. 41-year-old actor, who is managing director of the family-owned Murasoli Trust that runs party’s mouthpiece Murasoli, is the third secretary of DMK’s youth wing, a powerful post held by his father and former minister Vellakoil Saminathan.

The post fell vacant after Saminathan resigned from his post in May, following which several district secretaries adopted a resolution to appoint Udhayanidhi as state secretary of the youth wing.

According to reports, party leaders feel that appointment of Udhayanidhi as state secretary of the youth wing will help the party in galvanising youth voters ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections.

Udhayanidhi, who held no post in the party till today, has been the star campaigner of the party and toured the state seeking votes for the party ahead of Lok Sabha Election.

The DMK has often been criticised for promoting family members in the party.

Similarly, JD (S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, who was recently under fire for fielding his party members in the recently held general elections, on Thursday named MLA HK Kumaraswamy as the party's state unit president, a month after the incumbent H Vishwanath resigned accepting "moral" responsibility for the outfit's poor show in the Lok Sabha polls.

Former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa was named as JD(S) working president and the party patriarch's grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy the youth wing chief.

H Vishwanath resigned from his post on June 4 after the JD(S) and its coalition partner won only one seat each out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"Former president A H Vishwanath had resigned after my defeat in Lok Sabha election from Tumkur. I have named five-time MLA and former minister H K Kumaraswamy as the state president," Gowda announced at a press conference.