Even with the vacuum created by the conviction of J Jayalalithaa, the DMK’s M Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu seems to be reluctant to openly hand over the party his son MK Stalin.

Stalin has had worked his way up in the party and is the de facto head of the DMK. However, Karunanidhi has not relinquished his powers completely and this arrangement is likely to get endorsed at the general council meeting in Chennai on January 9.

Top leaders Karunanidhi, Anbazhagan and Stalin are all set to be re-elected as president, general secretary and treasurer. It looks like DMK lacks political aggressiveness in taking on AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa. Stalin has age on his side and elections are scheduled next year.

Sources close to the party said, DMK’s heir-apparent Stalin wanted to gauge the leaders mood whether he would be given opportunity now to climb the next step and become party general secretary. There were reports that Stalin is in the race for the position of party general secretary.

There was also a buzz in DMK circles that Stalin would not file his nomination for the position of treasurer, which he holds now, as a mark of protest. Stalin dismissed these as 'rumours' and accused the media of speculation.

But, everyone in the party is aware that it is now a settled matter that Stalin is just a short distance away from adorning the top post. The nonagerian father makes it a point to spend most of the time on the dais at any public engagement as he lists out Stalin’s good work. Party organisational secretary RS Bharathi at a media briefing on Monday said, besides the party functionaries and cadres, leaders too had recognised Stalin as a political leader.

“The DMK will function under the guidance of president Kalaignar, general secretary Anbazhagan and treasurer MK Stalin”, he said firmly. At the same event the DMK had almost shut the doors on Karunanidhi’s elder son MK Alagiri with Bharathi asserting that there is no need to recall the expelled former Union Minister who does not have even one per cent support among the rank and file.