K. Palani

K. Palani is a 64-year-old AIADMK politician contesting from the Sriperumbudur (SC) reserved constituency in Tamil Nadu. With a 5th-grade education and a background in agriculture, Palani represents a grassroots political profile. He has declared assets of approximately ₹1.3 crore with liabilities of ₹33 lakhs, and no criminal cases against him. Palani's political career includes a significant victory in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, where he won the Sriperumbudur seat with 101,001 votes (42.77%), defeating K. Selvaperunthagai of the Indian National Congress who received 90,285 votes (38.23%). However, his tenure as MLA ended in 2021 when he lost to the same INC candidate, receiving 104,474 votes (39.53%) against Selvaperunthagai's 115,353 votes (43.65%). This loss reflects the broader anti-incumbency wave that affected AIADMK across Tamil Nadu in 2021. As an AIADMK member, Palani's political fortunes are closely tied to the party's overall image under Edappadi K. Palaniswami's leadership. The party has announced several welfare promises for 2026 including ₹10,000 household relief, doubling cash assistance to women heads of families to ₹2,000, and expanding free bus travel to men. However, the party has also faced corruption allegations including tender irregularities worth ₹4,800 crore, with the Supreme Court hearing pleas for CBI investigations. Internal party turmoil, including legal battles over O. Panneerselvam's expulsion, has also created uncertainty. Voters in Sriperumbudur should note that while Palani has legislative experience from 2016-2021, there is limited public information about his individual achievements or development work in the constituency. His candidacy represents AIADMK's attempt to regain a seat it lost in 2021, in a constituency where margins have been relatively close and voter sentiment has shifted between the two elections.