Kanthan A

Kanthan A, 49, is contesting from Thiruvarur constituency in Tamil Nadu on a Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) ticket in the 2026 Assembly elections. A post-graduate who runs a book stall business, Kanthan has declared assets worth Rs 92.61 lakhs with liabilities of Rs 26 lakhs, and has no criminal cases against him. This appears to be his first major electoral contest, as no previous election data is available for him. Kanthan represents the Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi, a party founded by T. Velmurugan in 2012 after leaving the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). The party has had a challenging electoral history: it contested 52 seats in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections but lost all of them, and fielded candidates in 170 constituencies in 2021 without winning any seats. The party briefly aligned with the NDA in 2019 and later with the DMK in 2021, where Velmurugan himself won from Panruti as a DMK candidate. In a significant political development just ahead of the 2026 elections, TVK exited the DMK-led alliance in March 2026, citing dissatisfaction over seat-sharing and unmet demands including a 10.5% quota for the Vanniyar community and a caste census. Velmurugan has ruled out joining the BJP-led NDA, calling it a 'divisive force,' and positioned the party as an independent Tamil nationalist alternative. For the 2026 elections, TVK has announced it will contest 170 constituencies across Tamil Nadu. Voters in Thiruvarur should note that while Kanthan himself has no public controversies or criminal record, his party has yet to win a seat in its independent capacity and faces the challenge of establishing electoral credibility. The party's recent exit from the DMK alliance and its positioning as a third force focused on Vanniyar community interests and Tamil nationalism will be key factors influencing its electoral prospects.