The month of Aavani  ( Tamil equivalent of Bhadra) which commences on Saturday could usher in  major changes in the hierarchy of DMK politics, according to sources close to party leadership.

“Chances of Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of chief minister and DMK supremo M K Stalin getting elevated as deputy chief minister have brightened,” said the State’s seasoned political commentator Gauthaman Ramakrishnan, the chief editor of Sri TV. It was Gauthaman who had told The Pioneer before the Lok Sabha poll that the BJP and the AIADMK would not win even a single seat from the State.

Stalin is leaving for a long tour to US ostensibly to attract entrepreneurs to invest in Tamil Nadu. “But the chief minister’s top priority is to undergo medial treatment for a long suffering ailment. He wants Udhayanidhi to be the stand-in for him during the period he is away from the country,” said Gauthaman.

Sources close to Stalin and the DMK leadership (read the Stalin clan) concurred with what Gauthaman told this newspaper. “Thalapathy (Tamil term for commander) wants to groom Udhayanidhi to take over the chief minister’s chair when the time is ripe. The second rung leaders have understood their position in the party and are only worried about their accessibility to Stalin’s son, daughter, son-in-law and of course Durga, the chief minister’s spouse,” said a party leader.

As part of his mission to make Udhayanidhi’s elevation a smooth affair, Stalin has eased out other senior leaders from positions of prominence they  enjoyed in the party during the tenure of late M Karunanidhi, his father. Kanimozhi, Stalin’s step sister  has been made the face of DMK in New Delhi while Dayanidhi Maran, the chief minister’s nephew has ended up as a cheerleader for Kanimozhi,” said  a seasoned political commentator who is well aware of what is happening in the DMK. T R Balu,  a one time powerhouse in the DMK  finds himself sidelined and this could be understood from his body language in parliament and outside. Durai Murugan, the PWD minister has also become a pale shadow of what he was during Karunanidhi days.

Durga Stalin, who visits all temples in south India to pray for her husband’s longevity is now consulting all leading astrologers to find out the auspicious occasion for the chief minister to promote Udhayanidhi as the second in command of the Government. The grapevine is that Stalin is likely to announce the promotion of Udhayanidhi on August 19 as it is the most auspicious day before the former emplanes for the US. The day is observed as Aavani Avittam and an auspicious day to venture out for new missions.