In an interview with Ananda Vikatan Magazine, DMK Chief Karunanidhi said that his heir to the party would be his son MK Stalin. (Before you get excited, please read further).
When asked about the buzz around Stalin being the next leader and who his political successor was, he said, "Even when Stalin was very young, he formed the Youth Wing and worked tirelessly. Then, from the time of MISA (when he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act for protesting the emergency in 1975) when he went to prison, he has undergone torture, worked by himself and attained the position of the future leader of the DMK step by step. Given this, he is today my political successor."
He wished Stalin well and said Stalin was functioning excellently. "He is leading the party and the party workers in the right path. This makes my heart content."
Sixty three-year old Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the TN assembly and DMK party treasurer has been waiting in line to become the next DMK chief for quite a few years now.
In March 2011, Karunanidhi told CNN-IBN that there was no question mark over Stalin becoming his heir. "The party seniors, general council members and others who have confidence in me, also have it in Stalin. Therefore, there is no justification in that becoming a question mark," he said.
"Till my last breath, I will work for the uplift of the Tamil society and its awakening. The question that naturally exercises is: 'who after me?' The answer is Stalin," he told party workers in January 2013.
So why has the 92-year-old politician not handed over the baton? A clue lies in this interview that he gave NDTV just before 2016 assembly elections.
"Stalin himself doesn't want to become the chief minister. He wants the DMK president (Karunanidhi) to become the chief minister. I have never lost (an election) since 1957. Therefore, if I win, it will be the sixth time (as chief minister)," Karunanidhi told NDTV in May 2016.
During the run up to the elections Stalin had however emerged as the natural leader, leading the DMK's campaign. Many in Tamil Nadu had expected that Stalin would be chosen as the DMK president on its Founder's Day on September 17. However, that did not happen.
When Ananda Vikatan asked him about Alagiri, his estranged son, Karunanidhi said "I'm happy with whoever is there. If we are to go down a progressive path, there's no point in pining for people who have left."
He also said that he didn’t consider AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa as a challenge, and wished her well just like he wished MGR when he fell sick.
Asked what he liked about Jayalalithaa, he said “Her acting and dance skills.”