C. Thangaraju

C. Thangaraju is a 58-year-old graduate professional advocate contesting from the Coonoor constituency in Tamil Nadu's 2026 Legislative Assembly elections on a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ticket. With declared assets of approximately ₹28.52 crores and liabilities of ₹10.83 crores, Thangaraju holds multiple professional roles including director, chairman, trustee/secretary, and president of various organizations alongside his legal practice. He has no declared criminal cases. However, specific information about his individual political career, constituency work, or public profile remains largely unavailable in public records. Thangaraju is contesting from Coonoor, a constituency that has historically alternated between DMK and AIADMK. In the 2021 election, DMK's K. Ramachandran won with 61,820 votes (45.89%), defeating AIADMK's Vinoth.D by a margin of 4,105 votes. The 2016 election saw AIADMK's A. Ramu win by a similar narrow margin of 3,710 votes against DMK's candidate. The constituency has consistently shown tight races with victory margins under 4%, making it a competitive battleground. As a TVK candidate, Thangaraju represents a party founded by actor Vijay in February 2024, which is contesting all 234 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. TVK has positioned itself as a welfare-oriented alternative to the traditional Dravidian parties, promising monthly financial assistance to women, unemployed graduates, and senior citizens, along with ambitious AI-driven governance initiatives. However, the party's credibility took a severe hit after the September 27, 2025 Karur rally tragedy where 41 people died in a crowd crush during a massive rally organized by party founder Vijay. Tamil Nadu Police filed FIRs against several TVK leaders for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and endangering lives, though Vijay himself was not named. Voters in Coonoor should note that while Thangaraju carries no personal criminal record and possesses professional credentials as an advocate and business leader, his party is in its electoral debut and faces serious questions about organizational capacity and crowd management following the Karur tragedy. His candidacy represents a vote for an untested political force promising transformative change but lacking governance experience. The tight margins in Coonoor's recent electoral history suggest that Thangaraju's performance could depend heavily on whether TVK successfully capitalizes on youth and women voters seeking an alternative, or whether concerns about the party's readiness to govern will benefit established parties.