Muththiah. M

Muththiah, 69, is an Independent candidate from Paramakudi (SC) constituency in Tamil Nadu with a tumultuous political career marked by a dramatic fall from grace. He achieved his career peak in 2016 when, as an AIADMK candidate, he won the Assembly election with 79,254 votes (46.89%), defeating DMK's U. Thisaiveeran by over 11,000 votes. However, his political fortunes reversed sharply during the 2017 AIADMK party split following Jayalalithaa's death, which led to his disqualification as an MLA. In the 2019 by-election, Muththiah contested as an Independent but suffered a crushing defeat, securing only 9,672 votes (approximately 5.5%), while AIADMK's N. Sadhan Prabhakar won with 82,438 votes (46.86%). This represented an 88% collapse in his vote share, indicating that his electoral success was tied to the AIADMK party machinery rather than personal popularity. He contested again in 2021 as an Independent, losing to DMK's S. Murugesan, though with slightly improved performance. Muththiah declares agriculture as his profession but reports no immovable property and total assets of only Rs. 3.68 lakhs—surprisingly modest for a former MLA who would have received legislative salary and benefits for nearly three years. He has no criminal cases declared. His current campaign appears to lack organizational support, with no discernible social media presence or public engagement strategy. Voters should be aware that he represents a political figure whose influence peaked with party backing and who now operates on the margins of Paramakudi's competitive electoral landscape, where DMK and AIADMK dominate.