DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM

DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamilnadu. It is also one of the main political parties in Tamilnadu. The DMK was founded on September 17, 1949 by C. N. Annadurai (Anna) as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by E. V. Ramasami (Periyar). Under Annadurai, in 1967, DMK became the first party, other than the Indian National Congress, to win the state-level elections with a clear majority on its own in any state in India. By 1962, the Election Commission formally recognized the DMK as a political party and had by then also allotted it the rising sun symbol. The origin of the party symbol was, in fact, inspired from leader and scriptwriter M. Karunanidhi’s 1950s play ‘Udaya Surya’ (Rising Sun in Tamil) which had been banned, writes historian S. Muthiah in his ‘Tales of Old and New Madras: The Dalliance of Miss Mansel and 37 Other Stories of 375 Years’. As far as symbolism goes, the DMK’s poll symbol signifies the ‘rising’ spirit of the Dravidian people.