Dr Kathirkamu K.

Dr. K. Kathirkamu, 68, is a retired government college principal, professor, and doctor who has had a tumultuous political career marked by electoral success, party defection, and subsequent decline. He first achieved political prominence by winning the Periyakulam Assembly constituency in 2016 as an AIADMK candidate with 90,599 votes (46.94%), defeating his DMK opponent by over 14,000 votes. His background in education and medicine positioned him as a credible representative for the scheduled caste reserved constituency. However, his political journey took a controversial turn in September 2017 when he was among 18 AIADMK MLAs disqualified by Speaker P. Dhanapal for withdrawing support from Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and aligning with rebel leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran. This defection led him to join the newly formed Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), a decision that dramatically altered his political fortunes. The disqualification remains a significant blemish on his legislative record, as it reflected abandoning the party mandate voters had given him. The consequences of his party switch became evident in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where Dr. Kathirkamu contested again from Periyakulam but as an AMMK candidate. He suffered a crushing defeat, securing only 16,424 votes (8.24% vote share), finishing third behind both DMK winner K.S. Saravana Kumar (92,251 votes) and AIADMK candidate M. Murugan (70,930 votes). His vote share collapsed by nearly 39 percentage points, suggesting voters rejected his defection. Despite this electoral humiliation, he has been announced as the AMMK candidate for Periyakulam in the upcoming 2026 elections. Voters should know that Dr. Kathirkamu declares assets of Rs. 3.56 crore with liabilities of Rs. 58 lakh, has no criminal cases, and brings professional credentials from the education and medical fields. However, his track record shows a politician who abandoned his original party mid-term and has since struggled to retain voter confidence, with his support base shrinking dramatically. His ability to regain trust in a constituency where he once commanded significant support remains his biggest electoral challenge.