With counting slated for Thursday in Tamil Nadu, the buzz is that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could well oust the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government lead by J Jayalalitaa. If that happens, major credit must go to Union Communication Minister Dayanidhi Maran, DMK leader M Karunanidhi's grandnephew.
Maran's meticulously planned strategies have made it possible to even hazard that J Jayalalithaa can be defeated in Tamil Nadu.
Maran, the savvy young face of the party, made his first move in 2004 when he bought over Dinakaran, a Tamil daily with the largest circulation. He subsequently bought a small-time town-level television news channel and merged it with the family-run Sun TV.
If the DMK does win, power will lie well within Dayanidhi's reach. Karunanidhi, now 82, may not want to be chief minister and this will prove to Dayanidhi's advantage to project himself as the third generation DMK leader. It may be possible that he makes a nominee the chief minister and presses the United Progressive Alliance government to etch out a bigger role for him at the Centre.
Indeed, even at the time of the UPA formation, Karunanidhi had pitched for the finance portfolio for Maran. He had argued that despite playing an important role in national politics, the DMK had not really been in any pivotal role.
At the Centre, DMK first tasted power during the V P Singh government, when the late Murasoli Maran, Dayanidhi's father, was given the urban development portfolio. He later became the industries minister. The party held the commerce portfolio during the Deve Gowda-led regime and that of the National Democratic Alliance.
In the current UPA government, the DMK has seven ministerial berths, including information technology and revenue.
Political pundits predict that if the DMK does come to power in Tamil Nadu, it may mobilise other allies to threaten the UPA government.
However that may be, Dayanidhi Maran will be one of the architects of the DMK's future.
Complete coverage: Tamil Nadu elections
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