Valarmathi. P

There is a significant identity confusion surrounding this candidacy. The affidavit declares Valarmathi P. as a 47-year-old Team Leader in a private company contesting as an Independent from Saidapet. However, web sources identify B. Valarmathi as a 67-year-old (born October 20, 1957) senior AIADMK leader from Madurai who has never contested from Saidapet constituency. If these are the same person, the discrepancies in age (20-year difference), profession (private employee vs. career politician), party affiliation (Independent vs. AIADMK Women's Wing Secretary), and constituency (Saidapet vs. historical contests from Thousand Lights, Mylapore, Alandur) are deeply concerning. B. Valarmathi, according to available records, has had a distinguished but recently troubled political career. She first entered the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1984 from Mylapore with 51.68% of votes and went on to serve as Minister twice under Chief Minister Jayalalithaa - handling the Social Welfare portfolio (2001-2004, 2011-2016) and Rural Industries (2004-2006). She also served as Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Textbook Association from 2017 to 2021. However, her electoral fortunes declined sharply after 2011, losing three consecutive elections in 2006, 2016, and 2021, with her vote share plummeting from 50.55% in her 2011 victory to just 32.06% in 2021. She was involved in AIADMK's internal power struggles after Jayalalithaa's death, briefly aligning with the Sasikala faction before returning to the main party in 2018. Voters in Saidapet should seek urgent clarification on whether this is indeed the veteran AIADMK leader B. Valarmathi contesting independently after party differences, or a completely different person with the same name. The inconsistencies in age, profession, and political affiliation between the affidavit and public records make it difficult to assess this candidacy accurately. If this is the former minister, her extensive administrative experience in social welfare and rural development would be valuable, but her recent electoral defeats and the switch to independent candidacy from a new constituency warrant explanation. If this is a different person entirely, voters deserve to know why someone with no political track record is using a name identical to a well-known politician.