G. Rajkumar

Ganapathi P. Rajkumar, 63 (born April 17, 1965), is a sitting Member of Parliament from Coimbatore and a prominent DMK leader with a diverse educational background including a Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication. Born to Palanisamy and Bhuvaneswari in a Congress-supporting family, Rajkumar began his political career with the AIADMK in 1989, serving as a Coimbatore City Corporation councillor in 2001 before winning the mayoral election in 2014 with 420,104 votes. He served as Mayor from 2014 to 2016, focusing on urban development. Dissatisfied with the AIADMK, Rajkumar made a significant political switch by joining the DMK on December 21, 2020, in the presence of party leader M.K. Stalin, and currently serves as DMK's Presidium Chairman of Coimbatore district. His political career reached new heights in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when he won from Coimbatore with 568,200 votes (41.39%), defeating BJP's high-profile candidate K. Annamalai by a margin of 118,068 votes. This victory was historic, marking the first time in 28 years that the DMK won the Coimbatore parliamentary seat. As an MP, Rajkumar has focused on grassroots development, inaugurating rural road construction projects under the Chief Minister's Village Road Improvement Scheme and distributing support to 140 orphaned students under the Anbukarangal welfare scheme, providing them Rs. 2,000 monthly until age 18. However, there are serious concerns regarding the current affidavit filed for the Coimbatore North assembly constituency. While his 2024 Lok Sabha affidavit declared assets worth Rs. 2.9 crore with no criminal cases, the current affidavit shows only Rs. 4,024 in assets and lists his profession as 'Wage' (wage laborer), creating a glaring inconsistency that requires clarification. Voters should note that while Rajkumar has a strong track record of public service and electoral success, these affidavit discrepancies raise questions about documentation accuracy that need to be addressed transparently.