INDIA TODAY-MDRA SURVEY STATES OF EXCELLENCE

THE 20TH EDITION OF THE EXCLUSIVE ANNUAL SURVEY OF INDIA’S BEST PERFORMING AND MOST IMPROVED STATES HAS MANY NEW WINNERS IN THE 12 CATEGORIES. THEIR CHIEF MINISTERS REVEAL THEIR MANTRAS OF SUCCESS

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A CM WHO MEANS BUSINESS

Committed to development for all, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin’s firm hand at the helm ensures that his state stays at the top

By RAJ CHENGAPPA & AMARNATH K. MENON

Photograph by BANDEEP SINGH

Like everything else about Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, his house in the heart of Chennai, too, is understated. He chose not to shift to the chief minister’s official residence after coming to power in May 2021, preferring instead to stay on in his elegant two-storeyed bungalow offMount Road where security for visitors is discreet. Upstairs is a multi-purpose gym that Stalin likes to visit early every morning, combining weight training with yoga and meditation sessions to keep fit. You will find him most often in a spotless white veshti and bush shirt that has one distinguishing feature—the tall, unbuttoned spearpoint collar that contrasts well with his puffed jet-black hairdo.