V. Velmurugan

There is significant confusion about this candidate's identity. The affidavit lists V. Velmurugan, 45, as a gold worker with minimal assets contesting from Coimbatore (South). However, the prominent political figure matching this name is T. Velmurugan, born April 11, 1970 (age 55), who founded the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVMK) party and served as MLA from Panruti three times. T. Velmurugan was born in Puliyur Kattusagai village in a farming family, and at age 15 was inspired by the Tamil Nadu Liberation Force. After the government attacked the movement in 1987, he fled with his family to Chennai. T. Velmurugan entered politics as Tiruvottiyur city secretary of PMK, contested unsuccessfully from Thiruvottiyur in 1996 (2.52% votes), then won Panruti in 2001 (37.67%) and 2006 (38.18%) as PMK candidate. He lost from Neyveli in 2011 (44.72%) with PMK and 2016 (19.17%) with his newly founded TVK party. In 2021, he rejoined mainstream politics and won Panruti as a DMK candidate with 47.6% votes. Most recently in early 2026, his TVK party exited the DMK alliance over seat-sharing disputes and unmet demands for caste census and Vanniyar community reservation. Critically, there is no record of T. Velmurugan contesting from Coimbatore South - his electoral base has always been Panruti and Neyveli constituencies. The affidavit shows two criminal cases (Section 153 for provocation to cause riot, Section 427 for mischief causing damage), which align with his history as an activist politician. However, the declared profession of gold work and assets of only ₹14,200 are completely inconsistent with a three-term MLA's profile. Voters should seek clarity on whether this is actually T. Velmurugan or a different person with a similar name, as the discrepancies raise serious questions about transparency.