
Tiruvannamalai constituency, at Serial no 5 in Part no 481
TIRUVANNAMALAI ConstituencyIndependent
Age
39
Education
8th Pass
Profession
Fruit Shop & Social Service
Affidavit declares profession as 'Fruit Shop & Social Service' but web sources extensively identify him as an environmental activist, techie-turned-farmer leader, and full-time anti-SIPCOT campaigner. No mention of fruit shop business in any media coverage. The declared Rs. 30,000 total assets seem extremely low for someone running multiple election campaigns and leading organized protest movements.
AI-generated content based on web sources. Verify independently before making decisions.
Political History
Guardian
R.Krishnan
Spouse Profession
Unmarried
Current Representative — TIRUVANNAMALAI
E V Velu
DMK · Won in 2021
Declared assets of only Rs. 30,000 (with zero immovable property) appear inconsistent with his known activities. He has contested multiple elections (2021, 2026), led organized protest movements, and maintained political campaigns across years. Election deposits alone would exceed his declared movable assets. For someone described as a 'techie-turned-farmer leader,' the complete absence of land or property ownership raises questions about asset disclosure completeness.
Total Assets
₹30.0 K
Movable Assets
₹30.0 K
Immovable Assets
₹0
Liabilities
₹0
2021 - Contested Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Tiruvannamalai as Makkal Needhi Maiam candidate, lost to DMK's E.V. Velu
2023 - Arrested in November under FIR 324/23 at Anakkavoor Police Station for anti-SIPCOT protests, detained at Palayamkottai Central Prison
2025 - Arrested in December with 23 Uzhavar Urimai Iyakkam members for protesting sand mining ahead of DMK Youth Wing Conference
2026 - Nominated by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for Tiruvannamalai constituency, though affidavit lists him as Independent
Achievements
• Led sustained anti-SIPCOT movement in Tiruvannamalai district against industrial land acquisition on wetlands, drawing attention to environmental and farmers' rights issues
• Recognized by international human rights organization Front Line Defenders as a human rights defender advocating for agricultural communities
• Founded and led Uzhavar Urimai Iyakkam (Farmers' Rights Movement), organizing grassroots resistance to sand mining and industrial encroachment
• Transitioned from technology sector to full-time environmental and farmers' rights activism, demonstrating commitment to local issues
Arul is viewed positively by environmental and farmers' rights groups as a grassroots activist fighting industrial encroachment, with his arrests seen as suppression of democratic protest. However, he faces an uphill electoral battle against a powerful DMK incumbent minister, and critics view his multiple arrests as indicators of confrontational politics that may not translate into electoral success.