Groomed by his famous father, Stalin has joined the select club of dynastic chief ministers. The Dravidian parties are all personality-oriented. If the DMK was dominated by Annadurai and Karunanidhi, the AIADMK’s strength was its charismatic leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa. Stalin, being not a cult personality person, many wondered whether he would be able to lead the party in the post-Karunanidhi period but he has surprised everyone by doing well both in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls.

Stalin indeed has waited five decades to preside over Fort St. George. Stalin has been his father’s shadow and a backroom boy for years. Karunanidhi had groomed Stalin carefully and made him deputy chief minister during his regime in 2009- 2011. Stalin gradually tightened his grip on the party even when Karunanidhi was alive. But he is not a cult figure though he seems to have clicked in the 2021 elections. His hard work helped him to achieve this.

Now that he has taken over, what are Stalin's challenges? He has made 500 populist promises which the public expects him to deliver. They include a universal basic income of Rs 1,000 for women-headed households, waiver of education loans for students and Rs 1,500 to widows, all single women above 50, and many more populist schemes. The new government will have to hit the ground running but finding money for all these populist schemes is going to be difficult.

Secondly, Stalin has assumed charge amidst a raging pandemic. Though his predecessor E. Palaniswamy has not done badly in tackling the pandemic it is a very big challenge indeed.

Fortunately, Tamil Nadu has some excellent bureaucrats, who could help him in the administration. Keeping a close eye on COVID-19 cases, preparing for a third covid wave, and implementing the vaccination drive would be the immediate challenges. There is a sharp rise in the spread of COVID-19 and a shortage of vaccines and oxygen and hospital beds.

The second is finance. The state’s debt stood at Rs 5.7 lakh crore in March 2021, when the Palaniswamy government presented a revenue-deficit interim budget in February. The tax collection has also dipped amidst the overall economic decline. The party has promised to reserve 75 percent of jobs to locals and one million jobs every year for the next five years. He has also promised to increase the number of MNREGA working days to 150 days from 100 days.

The third is on the education front. The COVID-19 outbreak has pushed schools and colleges to hold online classes and decrease the curriculum. Schools and colleges are closed often. Then there are protests against the NEET exams. Education needs urgent attention.

The fourth is his relationship with the Centre. Though Stalin has shown his leadership in organizing against the Hindi imposition, the repeal of article 370 and CAA, he has shown signs that he is not for confrontational politics with the Centre.

The fifth challenge is by stitching an alliance of eight parties, Stalin has emerged as the leader of the alliance. Keeping the alliance partners in good humour is a challenge at least until the next elections. Stalin also seems to have weathered the family problem by inviting his estranged brother Alagiri and his family for his oath-taking ceremony. Alagiri’s family attended the oath-taking ceremony. Despite the constant charges of family control, Stalin chose to push his son Udhayanidhi up in the party hierarchy. He is now considered the most important power centre in the DMK after his father.

Stalin has years of experience, both in politics and political administration, with stints as Chennai mayor (1996), minister for local administration (2006), and deputy chief minister (2009-11). He has also quietly built contacts with national parties and successive governments at the Centre, including the Prime Minister. But he has a long way to go to become another Karunanidhi. (IPA Service)