Dhravidamani.M

M. Thiravidamani (spelled as Dhravidamani.M in affidavit) is a 66-year-old DMK politician and lawyer from Gudalur constituency in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district. Born on 15 January 1960 in Attikunna village, he pursued higher education with an M.A. in History from Salem Government Arts College and a Bachelor of Law from Coimbatore Law College, before practicing as an advocate in Gudalur court. A lifelong DMK member since his teenage years, he has held significant party positions including chief general committee member and municipality secretary of Nelliyalam Municipality, and served as special public prosecutor in 1996. Thiravidamani's electoral career shows both success and recent challenges. He first won the Gudalur (SC) constituency in 2011 with a commanding 58.67% vote share, defeating DMDK's S. Selvaraj who secured only 29.12%. He successfully defended his seat in 2016, though with a reduced margin of 47.39% against AIADMK's S. Kalaiselvan (37.19%). However, in the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly election, he lost to AIADMK's Pon Jayaseelan, marking his first electoral defeat after two consecutive terms. His current affidavit declares assets worth Rs. 2.53 crore (movable: Rs. 1.43 crore, immovable: Rs. 1.10 crore) with liabilities of Rs. 48 lakhs. He faces two criminal cases with charges including unlawful assembly (IPC 143, 189), wrongful restraint (126), and negligent act likely to spread disease (269), though none are classified as serious IPC offenses. The declared profession as lawyer aligns with his legal practice background in Gudalur. Voters should know that while Thiravidamani has proven electoral success in Gudalur with two assembly terms, his 2021 loss suggests changing political dynamics in the constituency. The lack of recent media coverage about developmental work or public initiatives raises questions about visibility and current activities. His long association with DMK and legal background are assets, but the pending criminal cases and absence of documented recent achievements warrant voter scrutiny.