Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (born 1 March 1953) is an Indian politician and statesman who served as the eighth chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2021 to 2026. He became president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on 28 August 2018, after serving as the party's working president from January 2017 to August 2018.
Stalin is the third son of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi. He completed his education at Presidency College, Madras, in 1973. He began his political career in the late 1960s and was elected to the DMK's general committee in 1973. He was jailed during the Emergency in 1976. He became the secretary of the party's youth wing in 1982, a post he held for over three decades. He served as the Mayor of Chennai from 1996 to 2002. He has been elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly eight times, and served as the state's first Deputy Chief Minister from 2009 to 2011.
Stalin is married to Durga, and their son Udhayanidhi served as the deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2024 to 2026. In 2009, Anna University conferred an honorary doctorate on Stalin. In 2025, The Indian Express named him as India's 23rd most powerful personality.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was born on 1 March 1953 in Madras. He is the third son of M. Karunanidhi, who would later serve as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Dayalu Ammal. He was named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was educated at Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. He completed a pre-university course at Vivekananda College and obtained a degree in history from Presidency College in 1973.
Stalin married Durga (alias Shantha) on 20 August 1975. They have two children: a son Udhayanidhi, who served as deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2024 till 2026. and daughter Senthamarai, an entrepreneur and education professional. Stalin describes himself as an atheist.
Stalin began his political career in his early teens when he, with some friends, founded the youth wing of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Gopalapuram. At 14 years old, he campaigned for his uncle, Murasoli Maran, in the 1967 Madras State Legislative Assembly election. In 1973, he was elected to the general committee of the DMK.
In 1976, Stalin was jailed in Madras Central Prison under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protesting against the Emergency. Whilst in police custody, he endured torture which resulted in the death of his fellow prisoner C. Chittibabu. He wrote his final-year college exams whilst in prison. Stalin remained in custody until the Emergency's end in March 1977, when he and other political prisoners were freed. Testifying before the Justice M. M. Ismail Commission, Stalin said he was beaten and kicked while in custody, and that he was held with several other inmates in a single cell. Counsel for the jail staff disputed these claims during the hearing.
Stalin established the youth wing of the DMK in 1980 and became its secretary in 1982, a post he held for more than four decades. During the 1980s, he travelled across Tamil Nadu to encourage and mentor youth to join active politics. In 1989, he was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Thousand Lights Assembly constituency, and represented the constituency five times. In 2003, he became Deputy General Secretary of the DMK.
Stalin became the Mayor of Chennai in 1996. As mayor, he initiated the Singara Chennai (Beautiful Chennai) project to improve the city's infrastructure. He modernised the garbage disposal system by giving priority to cleaning works, and implemented development projects in areas such as health, public construction and schools. He built flyovers to address traffic congestion. During his first tenure, nine major flyovers and 49 bridges were constructed at a cost of ₹0.95 billion (US$9.9 million). He also worked on improving the standard of corporation-run schools to be on par with private schools. Parks and fountains were set up at 18 major junctions, 81 parks were renovated, and saplings were planted at Marina Beach. His efforts in improving city infrastructure earned him the title of Managara Thanthai (father of the city).
Stalin was re-elected Mayor for the second time in 2001. In 2002, the chief minister J. Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, which prevented a person from holding two elected posts in the government. Because Stalin was an elected member of the legislative assembly, this law was widely seen as an attempt to remove him as Chennai's mayor. Madras High Court later struck down the law but held as per the City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919, a person cannot be mayor for two consecutive terms, though unlike Stalin, earlier mayors were not directly elected. As a result, Stalin resigned from the post.
Minister and deputy chief minister (2006–2011)
The DMK regained control of the state assembly in the 2006 assembly elections. Stalin became the minister for rural development and local administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu, and retained this office throughout his term. During his tenure, he expanded women's self-help groups across the state by establishing 175,493 new ones. He also established drinking water projects such as the Hogenakkal and Ramanathapuram water schemes. In 2008, he became the DMK's treasurer.
On 29 May 2009, the Governor of Tamil Nadu Surjit Singh Barnala appointed Stalin the state's deputy chief minister. During his tenure, on 23 February 2011, the Government of Tamil Nadu received a special award for the best state among the largest states in India, and the diamond state award for best state in civil safety, drinking water and sanitation, and women's development. The state also won the most number of Nirmal Gram Awards for its exceptional role in maintaining sanitation in villages during Stalin's tenure as the minister of rural development.
Opposition leader and DMK president (2016–2021)
In 2013, Karunanidhi announced Stalin as his successor to head the DMK and confirmed it in 2016. Ahead of the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Stalin went on a statewide tour titled Namakku Naame. He won the Kolathur constituency and was appointed opposition leader in the state legislative assembly. In 2017, Stalin went on another Namakku Naame tour. He was appointed as working president in January 2017 when the health of his father, Karunanidhi, started declining. In 2018, Karunanidhi died and Stalin became president of the DMK.
Stalin formed the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu and led the alliance in the state in the 2019 Indian general election. The Secular Progressive Alliance won 39 out of 40 Parliament seats, and 12 out of 21 in the assembly by-elections, in the party's first victory since Stalin took charge as the DMK's president.
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2021–2026)
Stalin led the campaign for the Secular Progressive Alliance in the 2021 Assembly elections; it won 159 seats out of the 234, with the DMK winning 133 seats, an absolute majority. He was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on 7 May 2021, along with the rest of his cabinet. He also served as a member of the business advisory committee and committee on rules in the 16th Tamil Nadu assembly.