Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DMDK |
| General Secretary | Premallatha Vijayakant |
| Treasurer | L K Sudhish |
| Founder | Vijayakant |
| Founded | 14 September 2005; 19 years ago (2005-09-14) |
| Headquarters | Captain Aalayam, 125/7, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyambedu,Chennai – 600107,Tamil Nadu,India. |
| Student wing | DMDK Student Wing |
| Youth wing | DMDK Youth Wing |
| Women's wing | DMDK Women's Wing |
| Labour wing | Desiya Murpokku Union Federation |
| Ideology | |
| Colours | Yellow |
| ECI Status | State party[1] |
| Alliance |
|
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 0 / 543 |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
| Seats in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | 0 / 234 |
| Number of states and union territories in government | 0 / 31 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www.dmdkparty.com | |
TheDesiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (transl. National Progressive Dravidian Federation;abbr.DMDK) is an Indianregionalpolitical party in thestate ofTamil Nadu. It is aDravidian party founded by the formerleader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative AssemblyVijayakant (Captain) atMadurai on 14 September 2005. The party was led by its founder until 14 December 2023 from its date of founding. From 14 December 2023, the DMDK is led by Vijayakant's wife Premallatha Vijayakant as general secretary of the party. The party served as the mainopposition party in theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 27 May 2011to 21 February 2016. The headquarters of the party is called Captain Aalayam, which is located at Jawaharlal Nehru Salai,Koyambedu,Chennai. In 2025, the party rejoined theNDA.
The party was founded on 14 September 2005, asDesiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) by the formerleader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative AssemblyVijayakant, a veteranTamil film star and popular politician. He assumed the responsibility of the founder-president of the party. Ramu Vasanthan, who was the state president of the fans' forum, took charge as the general secretary of the party. On 17 July 2009, he died of a cardiac arrest. In 2014, the party's founder-president, Vijayakant, took over the position that had previously been vacant.
In the2006 assembly election, the party contested all 234 seats without an alliance and bagged only one seat with 8.38% of the vote, that of its founder-president Vijayakant fromVriddhachalam constituency, who served as a member of theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Other candidates of this party who contested in other constituencies in this election failed.
In the2009 general election, it contested 40 seats—39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry—without an alliance and lost in all the constituencies with 0.75% of the vote.[2]
Following widespread corruption, a price rise, a power cut, and allegations of nepotism against theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, in the2011 assembly election, the party, in alliance with parties like the left and formerchief minister of Tamil NaduJ. Jayalalithaa'sAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK),[3] swept the polls, winning 202 seats, with the DMDK winning 29 out of 40 which it contested, and got the opposition status in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by making it a second largest party in the legislative assembly next only to its ally AIADMK pushing DMK to third position and Vijayakanth recognized as the leader of the opposition in the assembly, becoming the first actor to become the leader of the opposition in a state's legislative assembly inIndia. The large victory also earned recognition and a permanent election symbolNagara from theElection Commission of India.[4] Vijayakanth stepped down as leader of the opposition on 21 February 2016, after eight DMDK party MLAs resigned.[5]
The party's performance began to deteriorate after the2014 general election; it fought theLok Sabha election in an alliance with theBharatiya Janata Party-ledNational Democratic Alliance (NDA).[6]Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,Pattali Makkal Katchi, andKongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi andIndhiya Jananayaga Katchi'sSocial Democratic Alliance are the other allies of the National Democratic Alliance inTamil Nadu. In the NDA alliance, the party had the highest number of seats, which were 14 in number. Despite the big hype, the party lost all 14 seats to AIADMK candidates. But it was the first time in 52 years that the DMK alliance was pushed to third place by the number of seats, and this election gave confidence to most parties that the future of Tamil Nadu lies in a coalition government.
The DMDK decided to run alongside thePeople's Welfare Front (PWA) in the2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, as part of the "Captain Vijayakanth Alliance,"[7] which included theCommunist Party of India (Marxist),Communist Party of India,Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, andThol. Thirumavalavan'sViduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. The DMDK performed poorly in the election, not winning even a single constituency and losing deposits in the majority of its seats. It also witnessed a vote swing of -5.49% from the 2011 assembly elections.
In the2019 general elections, after several rounds of talks with different political parties, The move comes after the DMDK’s attempts to make an alliance with theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has already entered into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress and several others, failed. DMDK contested with theBharatiya Janata Party-ledNational Democratic Alliance (NDA) inTamil Nadu for the17th Lok Sabha polls, along withAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,Pattali Makkal Katchi,Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), and some unrecognized parties.Vijayakanth wants to prove his vote bank strength in this election, but the party was humiliated and lost all four that it contested out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. TheSecular Progressive Alliance (SPA), a DMK-led alliance consisting of all the major opposition parties in the state, swept the election by winning 38 seats.
In the2021 assembly election, the DMDK, which had the support of theAmma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam,Social Democratic Party of India, andAll India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, lost 60 seats contested and saw a vote percentage swing of -1.96% compared to previous assembly elections. After the election, the DMK emerged as the ruling party, and the AIADMK emerged as the main party of the opposition in the assembly.
On 26 December 2023, Vijayakanth was admitted toMIOT International Hospital, Chennai, due to pneumonia. After a prolonged illness, he died after testing positive for COVID-19 on 28 December 2023.
On 14 December 2023, the formerleader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative AssemblyVijayakant, announced and appointed Premallatha Vijayakant as the general secretary of the party in the presence of the party's deputy secretaries at the General Council Meeting held inChennai.[8] Since Vijayakant's demise, the party is being completely led by Premallatha as the general secretary of the party.
In the2024 general election, the DMDK joined theAIADMK-led Alliance inTamil Nadu for the18th Lok Sabha polls, along withPuthiya Tamilagam (PT) and theSocial Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The DMDK was contested in five constituencies, includingVirudhunagar, which was contested by V. Vijaya Prabhakaran, the party's founderVijayakant and the general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant's son. The party lost in all the constituencies it contested, and theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance swept the election in Tamil Nadu.[9]
| Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Percentage of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 15th | Vijayakant | 40 | 0 / 543 |  | 0.75% | | 3,126,117 | Lost |
| 2014 | 16th | 14 | 0 / 543 | | 0.38% |  0.37% | 2,078,843 | ||
| 2019 | 17th | 4 | 0 / 543 | | 0.15% | 0.23% | 929,590 | ||
| 2024 | 18th | Premallatha Vijayakant | 5 | 0 / 543 | | 0.17% |  0.02% | 1,128,616 |
| Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Percentage of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 13th | Vijayakant | 234 | 1 / 234 | 1 | 8.38% | | 2,764,223 | Others |
| 2011 | 14th | 41 | 29 / 234 | 28 | 7.88% | 0.50% | 2,903,828 | Opposition | |
| 2016 | 15th | 104 | 0 / 234 | 29 | 2.39% | 5.49% | 1,034,384 | Lost | |
| 2021 | 16th | 60 | 0 / 234 | | 0.43% | 1.96% | 200,157 | ||
| 2026 | 17th | Premallatha Vijayakant | TBA | ||||||
| Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Percentage of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12th | Vijayakant | 24 | 0 / 30 | | 2.73% | | 15,405 | Lost |
| 2011 | 13th | 1 | 0 / 30 | | 0.85% | 1.88% | 5,966 | ||
| 2016 | 14th | 6 | 0 / 30 | | 0.11% | 0.74% | 850 | ||
| 2021 | 15th | 26 | 0 / 30 | | 0.30% | 0.19% | 2,524 | ||
| 2026 | 16th | Premallatha Vijayakant | TBA | ||||||
| Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Percentage of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 5th | Vijayakant | 11 | 0 / 70 | | 0.03% | | 2,285 | Lost |
| Member | Position in government | Party position |
|---|---|---|
| Premallatha Vijayakant | | General Secretary |
| V. Elangovan | | Presidium Chairman |
| L. K. Sudhish | | Treasurer |
| Alagaapuram R. Mohanraj | Propaganda Secretary | |
| B. Parthasarathy |
| Deputy General Secretary |
| Selva Anburaj | | Captain Manram Secretary |
| V. Vijayaprabhakaran | | Youth Wing Secretary |
| Malathi Vinoth | | Women's Wing Secretary |
| S. Senthilkumar |
| Information Technology Wing Secretary |
| M. R. Panneerselvam | | Advocates Wing Secretary |
| A. M. Shanmuga Sundaram | | Students' Wing Secretary |
| K. Shanmugavel | | Trade Wing Secretary |
| V. Meenakshisundaram | | Weaver's Wing Secretary |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | | Vijayakant (1952–2023) | 14 September 2005 | 28 December 2023 | 18 years, 105 days |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 |  | S. Ramu Vasanthan (1955–2009) | 14 September 2005 | 17 July 2009 | 3 years, 306 days |
| 2 | | Vijayakant (1952–2023) | 1 June 2014 | 14 December 2023 | 9 years, 196 days |
| 3 | | Premallatha Vijayakant (b. 1969) | 14 December 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 199 days |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term in office | Assembly (Election) | Elected constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | | Vijayakant (1952–2023) | 27 May 2011 | 21 February 2016 | 4 years, 270 days | 14th (2011) | Rishivandiyam |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term in office | Assembly (Election) | Elected constituency | Leader of the Opposition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | | Panruti S. Ramachandran (b. 1937) | 27 May 2011 | 10 December 2013 | 2 years, 197 days | 14th (2011) | Alandur | Vijayakant |
| 2 | | Alagaapuram R. Mohanraj (b. 1954) | 31 January 2014 | 21 February 2016 | 2 years, 21 days | Salem North | ||
Founder:Vijayakant | |
| Presidents |
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| General secretaries |
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| Leaders of the opposition | |
| Deputy leaders of the opposition | |
| Others | |
Headquarters: Captain Aalayam, 125/7, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyambedu, Chennai – 600107, Tamil Nadu, India. | |
