Kathiravan. P

Kathiravan P is a 32-year-old advocate who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Karur constituency as an Independent candidate. He is a graduate professional with declared assets of ₹13.73 lakh and liabilities of ₹4.40 lakh, with no criminal cases registered against him according to his election affidavit. In the 2024 elections, he lost decisively to Indian National Congress candidate S. Jothimani, who secured 534,906 votes (47.25%), while AIADMK's K.R.L. Thangavel came second with 368,090 votes (32.52%). There is significant confusion in available public records because a DMK MLA named P Kathiravan also represents the Karur region and is embroiled in a major scandal involving an alleged illegal kidney transplant racket. This DMK MLA's family-run Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Trichy had their kidney transplant licenses revoked after investigations revealed violations of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. The inquiry uncovered forged documents, bribery, and exploitation of poor weavers from Namakkal district who were allegedly lured to sell kidneys under the guise of being 'family donors'. The DMK MLA publicly defended the transplants, claiming he 'saved 252 lives' and describing the procedures as a 'service', which drew widespread criticism. Opposition parties have accused the DMK government of protecting him despite serious allegations. The scandal highlights systemic issues in organ transplant regulation, weak enforcement, and exploitation of marginalized communities. Voters should note the critical ambiguity: it remains unclear from available sources whether Kathiravan P (Independent candidate, advocate) and P Kathiravan (DMK MLA) are the same person or two different individuals with similar names from the same region. The Independent candidate has minimal public visibility, no documented achievements or controversies, and negligible electoral support in 2024. If these are indeed two different people, voters should be aware they are evaluating a relatively unknown Independent advocate with no political track record.