# DMDK seeks Bharat Ratna for Vijayakanth, stays with DMK 2026-08-27T12:31:31+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth has reiterated the party's demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on founder-leader Vijayakanth and reaffirmed its alliance with the DMK for upcoming local body and bye-elections. Addressing a press conference in Chennai on Monday, she said the party has submitted a formal representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the country's highest civilian honour for the late leader. Premalatha, who represents the Virudhachalam seat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, ruled out any change in the party's political alignment. She criticised transient political switchovers, saying those who keep shifting parties have neither history nor identity. The party announced a series of welfare drives across the state to mark Vijayakanth's 74th birth anniversary, observed as Poverty Eradication Day. Initiatives include free computer centres, tailoring training for women, and eye-care camps benefiting around 4,000 people. The party also handed over a Rs 1 lakh cheque from the Vallal Vijayakanth Trust to the Delhi Tamil Sangam. Premalatha urged the state government to prioritise farmer loan waivers and milk price hikes over free luxury vehicles for legislators, citing Tamil Nadu's Rs 10 lakh crore debt. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Vijayakanth's DMDK, founded in 2005 as a third front in Tamil Nadu, has swung between alliances over the years but has been with the DMK since the 2021 assembly polls. Premalatha's firm stance signals the party's bet on continuity over leverage in a coalition where the DMK holds 133 of 234 seats. The Bharat Ratna demand, while symbolic, puts pressure on the BJP-led Centre in a state where the DMK alliance opposes it on NEET and Cauvery issues. The party's local body performance will be the first test of whether its alliance strategy translates to ground-level traction outside its Virudhachalam stronghold. The local body election schedule is yet to be announced by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission. ## Coverage - deccanchronicle.com Straight news report of DMDK demands and announcements, no editorial framing. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bharat Ratna, DMDK, DMK, Premalatha Vijayakanth, Tamil Nadu, Vijayakanth Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/dmdk-seeks-bharat-ratna-for-vijayakanth-stays-with-dmk/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/dmdk-seeks-bharat-ratna-for-vijayakanth-stays-with-dmk/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/