Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Renaissance Dravidian Progressive Conference) is a political party active in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. It was established by Vaiko in 1994.

History

Formation of MDMK
Vaiko was a member of Rajyasabha and a party activist of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK). Vaiko grew in the party from his student days and actively participated in the party agitations and courted imprisonment several times. He was elected thrice to the Rajya Sabha and attracted the attention of many in parliament. In 1994, he was forced out of the parent body as he was seen as a threat to DMK chief Karunanidhi's son, M.K. Stalin. Vaiko along with some district secretaries announced the decision to start rival DMK ultimately leading to naming of the part as MDMK.

Support to Sri Lankan Tamils
Vaiko's voices support for Tamils in Sri Lanka due to the country’s countless human rights violations and their ongoing genocide of the Tamil minority. Vaiko also supports the LTTE and their goal for an independent Eelam state.

Support to Mullai periyar Dam
Kerala government was keen in demolishing mullaperiyar dam owing to the safety of the dam and the loss that can occur to people in Kerala on occurrence of a disaster, this dam is the prime source for irrigation for more than 8 districts including Theni. Vaiko led agitation against Kerala government

Split in MDMK
With the looming possibility of a vote of confidence in Parliament against UPA, two party MPs, L. Ganesan and Gingee N. Ramachandran, claimed that they enjoy the support of the majority of party cadre and decided to pledge support to the UPA government. They later withdrew their claim and joined DMK when it was found that they had forged letters of support of party executives.

Boycott of Assembly Election 2011
Due to issues in seat sharing, MDMK quit the ADMK Alliance and boycotted the 2011 Assembly elections of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Sanchi Protest
The MDMK protested the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. Vaiko and his party members traveled to Sanchi. People who traveled through roadways were stopped by the police near Gadchiroli. Some party members tried to reach the spot by rail and air but they were detained by police before reaching Sanchi.

MDMK snap ties with NDA
The MDMK snapped its ties with BJP, just after six months from 2014 election, accusing the BJP of acting against Tamil Interests, even though the BJP didn't try to assuage the MDMK regarding snapping of ties, which many people attribute to Dr. Swamy's lobbying against MDMK. Earlier in the month, Dr. Swamy of the BJP made a strong pitch against Vaiko accusing him of acting against national interests for his regional political benefits.

Party flag and symbol
The colour of the top and bottom panel is red and middle panel is black. The election symbol is top. The party has a weekly journal called Sangoli which carries news and write ups for party workers.

Election history
They contested in many elections and won in a few and boycotted 2011 elections, and despite the UPA alliance in which they were in winning majority seats in Tamil Nadu and all over India in 2004 elections, in 2014 elections they couldn't do the same in Tamil Nadu ,despite their alliance winning the elections in other states. And in 2016 tamil nadu state elections they played a key role in forming the third front.

2017 R.K.Nagar by-poll

After the defeat 2016 Elections, MDMK has slowly move towards DMK. Before R.K.Nagar bypoll Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)announced their support to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Assembly by-poll. The alliance with DMK defined as a significant change because MDMK made an alliance with DMK after a decade.

2019 Indian Parliamentary Elections

MDMK continues their alliance with DMK, and they got one Lok Sabha seat. Former Member of Parliament Ganeshamurthi, from Erode constituency, once again won. In this election, DMK alliance wins 38 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu.