Jegan Moorthy. M

M. Jegan Moorthy (born May 10, 1966) is a 59-year-old social activist and politician serving as MLA from K.V. Kuppam (Kilvaithinankuppam) constituency in Vellore District. A 12th pass by education, he is the President of Puratchi Bharatham Katchi (PBK), a Dalit-focused political party he has led since September 7, 2002. With assets worth Rs. 2.07 crores and liabilities of Rs. 63.72 lakhs, Moorthy has maintained a presence in Tamil Nadu politics for over two decades, winning both elections he contested—from Arakkonam in 2006 (as DMK ally) and K.V. Kuppam in 2021 (as AIADMK ally). His political career has been marked by strategic alliance shifts, moving from the DMK front in 2006 to the AIADMK-led coalition in 2016 and 2021. In the 2021 election, he secured 84,579 votes (49.08%), defeating his DMK rival by 10,582 votes. However, his tenure has been severely overshadowed by legal troubles. In May 2025, he was implicated in the abduction of a minor boy in Thiruvallur district, with allegations that he mobilized supporters to obstruct his own arrest. The Madras High Court harshly criticized him for "misusing political power," though the Supreme Court granted him anticipatory bail in July 2025, noting his previously clean record. Moorthy's affidavit declares 7 criminal cases including rioting, wrongful restraint, and assault on public servants, but the serious 2025 kidnapping case appears to be a recent development. His focus on Dalit upliftment through PBK has been his primary political identity, though concrete documentation of development work in his constituency remains limited. As he faces re-election, voters must weigh his two-decade political experience and community focus against the serious allegations of criminal conduct and abuse of political power that have emerged during his current term.