J. Selvakumar

J. Selvakumar is a 50-year-old Independent candidate contesting from Royapuram constituency in Tamil Nadu with minimal public profile or electoral history. Educated up to 8th standard, he declares his profession as business with total assets of Rs. 19.95 lakhs (entirely movable assets with no immovable property) and zero liabilities. His affidavit shows no criminal cases. Royapuram has historically been a competitive two-party battleground between DMK and AIADMK. In the 2021 election, DMK's Idream R. Murthy won with 53.56% of votes, while AIADMK's D. Jayakumar secured 30.46%. Independent candidates in this constituency have consistently performed poorly, with vote shares ranging from 0.75% to 6.79% in recent elections, making Selvakumar's prospects challenging without major party machinery. A significant concern emerges from web searches: a person named M. Selvakumar in Tamil Nadu was convicted by the Madras High Court in 2013 for bonded labor violations at his rice mill, sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment, and ordered to pay Rs. 50,000 to each of nine survivors. While the affidavit declares zero criminal cases and it's unclear if this refers to the same individual (lacking unique identifiers like father's name), the coincidence of name, state, and business background warrants voter scrutiny. Voters should note the complete absence of this candidate from public discourse, media coverage, social media platforms, and electoral databases. With no track record of political activity, community engagement, or development work documented anywhere online, and facing entrenched major party candidates in a constituency where Independents rarely succeed, this candidacy presents significant questions about credibility and electoral viability.