DMDK, turns into another Dravidian political party with dynastic leanings

Chennai, April 11 (IANS) The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founded by Tamil superstar, the late Vijayakant, has now been inherited by his wife Premallatha Vijayakanth and son Vijaya Prabhakaran. 

The DMDK is now an alliance partner of the AIADMK and is contesting on five seats in Tamil Nadu with the Virudhunagar seat becoming a prestigious fight where the scion of the party, Vijaya Prabhakaran is contesting against the NDA candidate and film star, Radhikaa Sarathkumar.

In Tamil Nadu, there are several Dravidian political parties with family lineage and the DMDK has become another one.

Vijaykanth floated the party on 14 September 2005 at Madurai and he continued to be the supreme leader of the party till December 14, 2023. He was the founder president and later became the general secretary of the party. On December 14, 2023, Vijayakant appointed his wife Premallatha Vijayakanth as the party general secretary. Her brother L.V. Sudeesh is the secretary of the party and is a major power centre in the DMDK.

The DMDK was the main opposition party of Tamil Nadu from 27 May 2011 to 21 February 2016. It won 29 of the 40 seats it contested and was second after the AIADMK while the DMK went to the third position in the state legislative assembly.

While the party claims Populism, Secularism, Dravidianism and Social Democracy as its ideology, dynasty politics has taken the sheen off the party.

Premallatha becoming the general secretary of the party and her son Vijaya Prabhakaran contesting from a high profile seat as an alliance partner of the AIADMK are clear examples that even though the party propagates its ideology, ultimately it has become family property with the mantle passed on to the wife and later to the son.

R. Sakthivel, a political analyst and psephologist based out of Tirunelveli, told IANS that “All said and done, the DMDK is simply a political party with dynastic control. Vijayakanth floated the party with the main ideals of Populism, Social Democracy, Dravidianism and Secularism as its plank but ultimately it has turned into a dynastic party as Vijayakanth’s wife Premallatha has now taken over the mantle.”

He added that the DMDK is just like another Dravidian political party with definite dynastic lines and family control.