Veeramani V

V. Veeramani, 61, is a postgraduate businessman contesting from Thiruvarur constituency on a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ticket in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections. This appears to be his first electoral contest. He declares total assets of Rs. 1.20 crore (movable: Rs. 65.83 lakh, immovable: Rs. 54.80 lakh) against liabilities of Rs. 1.13 crore, leaving him with minimal net assets. He has one pending criminal case involving charges under sections 189(2) (being member of unlawful assembly) and 223 (disobedience to order by public servant), neither classified as serious IPC offenses. Veeramani is part of TVK's maiden electoral venture, a party founded by actor Vijay on February 2, 2024, which announced candidates for all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The party positions itself as an alternative to the traditional DMK-AIADMK binary that has dominated Tamil Nadu politics for decades. He faces an uphill battle in Thiruvarur, currently represented by DMK's K. Poondi Kalaivanan who won the 2021 election with 52.29% of votes. There is virtually no individual public profile, media coverage, or social media presence for V. Veeramani himself. Web searches reveal confusion between him and K. Veeramani, the 91-year-old Dravidar Kazhagam leader and Periyar movement stalwart—they are different individuals despite sharing the surname. Unlike established candidates with documented track records, V. Veeramani's candidacy relies entirely on the TVK party brand and Vijay's star power rather than personal political capital or grassroots organizational work. Voters should note that while TVK has generated significant buzz and released an ambitious manifesto promising welfare schemes and technology-driven governance, the party is untested in elections and faced severe criticism after 41 deaths in a September 2025 crowd crush at a Karur rally, with police filing culpable homicide charges against party leadership. As a first-time candidate with no proven administrative or legislative experience, V. Veeramani represents both the promise of political change and the uncertainty of an entirely new political force.