V. Senthilkumar

V. Senthilkumar, 42, is a businessman-turned-politician contesting the Coimbatore South assembly constituency on a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ticket in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. With declared assets of Rs. 15.25 crore (Rs. 10.91 crore in immovable and Rs. 4.34 crore in movable assets) and liabilities of Rs. 2.96 crore, he represents the party's expansion into Coimbatore's industrial and jewelry hubs. He filed his nomination on April 2, 2026, signaling his alignment with Dravidian ideology by garlanding CN Annadurai's statue and paying floral tributes to MGR, positioning himself as an ideological bridge between TVK's newness and Tamil Nadu's political legacy. Senthilkumar's campaign focuses squarely on local development priorities—water supply, infrastructure improvement, road repairs with proper drainage systems, reduced electricity tariffs, and specific support for jewelry workers who form a significant economic base in Coimbatore South. He has promised to ensure fulfillment of basic facilities and expressed confidence in winning by a 50,000-vote margin. His wife has been named as the backup candidate, indicating party-level strategic planning. Unlike many rivals in the constituency, there is no indication of recent party switches, suggesting he is a fresh political entrant leveraging TVK's anti-establishment positioning. He faces a challenging contest against heavyweight candidates: DMK's V. Senthil Balaji (shifted from Karur) and AIADMK's Amman K. Arjunan (the 2016 winner). Coimbatore South has been historically volatile—BJP won in 2021 by just 1,728 votes over MNM's Kamal Haasan, and AIADMK won in 2016 by 17,419 votes over INC. While Senthilkumar benefits from being a new face in a constituency hungry for change, his candidacy is overshadowed by the September 2025 Karur crowd crush tragedy at a TVK rally that killed 41 people, with the Madras High Court criticizing party leadership for showing no remorse and abandoning victims. Voters should know that Senthilkumar is essentially a political newcomer with no prior electoral record, riding on TVK's broader momentum and actor-politician Vijay's popularity. His business background and local issue focus may appeal to voters tired of established parties, but his lack of proven governance experience and his party's recent controversy over the Karur tragedy present significant questions about accountability and leadership maturity.