DMK's Youth wing Secretary and MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin, who has been touted as the future of the party, celebrated his 45th birthday on Sunday- November 27 and perhaps, he is getting close to some bigger celebrations. You read it right! The time has finally come to Udhayanidhi Stalin to join his father and Chief Minister MK Stalin's cabinet and become a minister. 

Udhayanidhi Stalin is a first time legislator, currently representing the Chepauk- Triplicane constituency. Though he is busy with his movie projects, he has in recent times asserted that he will soon be venturing into politics full time and it is more likely that he will begin his full political venture as a minister. Ever since Udhayanidhi Stalin became an MLA, the DMK cadres stood at the same page that he will become the minister in the current DMK rule, led by his father. 

However, there had been no immediate response from MK Stalin and his family on when Udhayanidhi will be made the minister. Initially, MK Stalin was reluctant about inducting his son into the cabinet at his very first term as the legislator. However, when the senior leaders came to voice for Udhayanidhi, it was earlier reported that he will be made minister earlier this year. But, nothing took off as planned and several senior leaders overtly expressed their demand that Udhayanidhi must be made minister.

On several occasions, DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who is Udhayanidhi Stalin's close friend, had pitched in for the latter and made his demand to induct Udhayanidhi as the minister at all prospects. MK Stalin was tight-lipped in this regard while Udhayanidhi maintained that his ministerial induction will be announced by his father. In the midst of such political expectations around him, Udhayanidhi celebrated his birthday on Sunday, days after getting reappointed as the DMK Youth Wing's secretary. 

While he is leading the important arm of the party, Udhayanidhi is rising to be DMK's future and on the occasion of his birthday, several senior leaders extended their wishes while the cadres close to him grandly celebrated his birthday which was in a fashion of displaying that he is ready to take up the ministerial post. As Udhayanidhi enjoys a great zeal of support across the state, his birthday celebrations were rampant from districts to major cities. 

When he celebrated his birthday, the question of when he will become a minister has also got revived and according to the sources, Udhayanidhi Stalin will most likely get appointed as a minister before the budget session in the beginning of next year. A senior DMK leader told IANS, "The birthday bash of Udhayanidhi was like the birthday celebrations of Kalaignar Karunanidhi and if that is an indication, it is clear that he will be joining the Stalin cabinet." 

Furthermore, as MK Stalin has given an ultimatum to party cadres and lower-level functionaries to win all the 40 Lok Sabhs seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and 1 in Puducherry) in the 2024 general elections, the party sees that the birthday celebrations of Udhayanidhi mark the preparations for the polls. It is pertinent to note that the DMK youth wing has celebrated his birthday by organizing blood donations camps and hundreds of programmes.