"Stalin himself doesn't want to become Chief Minister. He wants DMK President (Karunanidhi) to become Chief Minister. I have never lost (an election) since 1957. Therefore, if I win, it will be the sixth time (as Chief Minister)," he told NDTV.
Responding to a question if he will pave the way for youngsters in the party in the event of DMK winning the elections, 93-year-old Karunanidhi asserted that he will lead the government if his party is voted back to power in coming elections and that DMK Treasurer Stalin was "among the first" who wanted him to be the Chief Minister.
The issue of Karunanidhi passing the baton to a successor has been a subject of unending debate in DMK.
Though Stalin has often been referred to as Karunanidhi's political heir apparent, with the party patriarch himself dropping enough hints, he still has not been elevated to the top post. He was Deputy Chief Minister in the previous DMK government.
Stalin has often found his Madurai-based elder brother M K Alagiri, who was expelled from DMK for anti-party activities, also vying for the top post.
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