R. Gandhi

R. Gandhi, 80, is a four-term MLA and current Minister for Handlooms and Textiles in Tamil Nadu. Despite having only a 10th-pass education, he has built a formidable political career spanning three decades with the DMK, winning elections in 1996, 2006, 2016, and 2021 from Ranipet constituency. He served as DMK Vellore district secretary for over twenty years before becoming Ranipet district secretary, demonstrating strong organizational capabilities within the party structure. Gandhi's electoral performance has been consistently strong, with his 2021 victory margin of 16,498 votes (50.18% vote share) defeating AIADMK's S. M. Sugumar. His highest vote share came in 2006 when he secured 55.01% of votes. In 2021, an interesting development occurred when the DMK initially named his son Vinod Gandhi as the candidate, but later R. Gandhi himself filed nomination papers with his son's support, ultimately winning the seat and securing a ministerial berth. While the broader DMK government has faced allegations of corruption—including the ₹1,000 crore TASMAC scam investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and cash-for-jobs allegations against other ministers—R. Gandhi has not been personally implicated in any major scandals or FIRs as of early 2026. However, his declared assets of ₹112 crore with liabilities of ₹35 crore raise questions about the sources of wealth for someone with a 10th-pass education whose profession is listed as 'MLA Partner In Business And Social Service,' though no specific irregularities have been documented. Voters should know that Gandhi represents a traditional DMK loyalist who has maintained his constituency for decades through multiple electoral cycles. His ministerial portfolio focuses on handlooms and textiles, though specific development achievements in this sector lack detailed public documentation. His one declared criminal case involves sections 167/2026, though details about the nature of this case are not readily available.