Ramesh

Ramesh, 31, is contesting his first election as the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate from Srirangam constituency in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. A private company employee turned politician, he represents TVK's debut electoral contest after the party's formation in February 2024 by actor Vijay. With declared assets of ₹33 lakh and liabilities of ₹13 lakh, Ramesh enters a historically competitive constituency that has been dominated by DMK and AIADMK, where DMK's M. Palaniyandi won in 2021 with 47.89% votes. As part of TVK's comprehensive strategy to contest all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, Ramesh faces established opponents including DMK's S. Durairaj, AIADMK's R. Manoharan, and NTK's Dharmaraj. His candidacy comes at a time when TVK is positioning itself as a secular, centre-left alternative that has explicitly rejected ties with the BJP and aims to break the traditional DMK-AIADMK duopoly in Tamil Nadu politics. While Ramesh himself has no known controversies, his party has faced significant challenges including the tragic Karur crowd crush incident in September 2025 that killed 41 people, leading to FIRs against TVK leaders for culpable homicide and safety violations. The party has also dealt with internal issues including a suicide attempt by a female TVK leader alleging a ₹1.6 million fraud by party officials. Voters should know that Ramesh represents a new political experiment in Tamil Nadu - a first-time candidate from a newly formed party that promises welfare schemes including a ₹15,000 crore guarantee fund for MSMEs and various subsidies, but also carries the baggage of recent controversies and lacks a proven governance track record.