Chennai (PTI): DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday admitted that clamour within his party has grown stronger to elevate his son and Sports Minister, Udhayanidhi as his deputy but indicated the time is yet to come.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his official programmes here, Stalin, when asked on demands gaining strength from a cross-section within the party to make Udhayanidhi the deputy CM and whether he would consider it, he said: "The demand has grown stronger; but it has not ripened."

The CM is seen as hinting that the right time for elevating Udhayanidhi is yet to come. For quite some time, there is expectation within the party that Udhayanidhi will be made the deputy chief minister.

Udhayanidhi, besides being the sports and youth welfare minister also handles the key portfolio of special programme implementation.

He inspects and reviews the implementation of key projects such as the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2.

 

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Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.

They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.

"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.

Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."

Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.

Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.

A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.

In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.

Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.