Velmurugan. S

T. Velmurugan, born in 1970 in Puliyur Kattusagai village, Cuddalore district, is a veteran Tamil Nadu politician with a 30-year career spanning multiple parties and ideologies. Coming from a farming family, he was inspired by the Tamil Nadu Liberation Force at age 15 and fled to Chennai with his family in 1987 when the government cracked down on the movement. Starting his political journey as Tiruvottiyur city secretary of PMK, he rose to become a three-term MLA from Panruti constituency (winning in 2001 with 37.67% vote share, 2006 with 38.18%, and 2021 with 47.6% under DMK banner). He founded his own party, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVMK), positioning himself as a Tamil nationalist voice. His political career has been marked by both electoral successes and controversies. While he established himself as a strong representative of the Vanniyar community and Tamil-centric causes, his journey includes notable losses in Neyveli (2011 with 44.72% votes and 2016 with only 19.17% votes). In March 2026, he dramatically exited the DMK alliance ahead of assembly elections, citing seat-sharing disputes and accusing the DMK of a 'big brother attitude', while ruling out joining the NDA. This move was seen by analysts as potentially splitting anti-incumbent votes in key constituencies. Velmurugan has faced legal challenges including a POCSO complaint in June 2025 for remarks criticizing students hugging actor Vijay on stage, which he called contrary to Tamil culture—a statement that drew widespread criticism and action from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. He was also involved in a 2015 agitation against a Pepsi unit at SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre, resulting in police cases against him and 32 cadres. His party has advocated for demands including a caste census, 10.5% internal reservation for Vanniyars, and an Assembly resolution seeking probe into alleged war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war. Voters should note the significant discrepancy between his affidavit declaration (profession: Coolie Work, assets: Rs. 74,500) and his documented career as a three-term MLA and party founder. His political positions reflect strong Tamil nationalist and community-specific advocacy, but his controversial statements and alliance-switching raise questions about consistency and judgment on sensitive social issues.