Thol. Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) is trailing behind AIADMK’s Chandrashekar P. in the Chidambaram constituency of Tamil Nadu.
While vote counting is still in progress in Chidambaram, the latest updates see Chandrashekar with 49,149 votes while Thirumavalavan lags behind by just 2,091 votes. Earlier, Thirumavalavan was leading with 25,323 votes while Chandrasekar was not far behind with 24,270 votes.
At present, out of the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, more than 35 constituencies have the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) leading. VKC’s initial lead led to many predicting that Thirumavalavan might win in the Chidambaram constituency. However, the tables have turned by mid-day.
The Chidambaram Lok Sabha constituency has about 28 to 30 percent coming under the Scheduled Cast category. Vanniyars and Dalits constitute the rest of the population here.
Thol Thirumavalavan entered the world of politics in 1990. As a leader hailing from the Dalit community, Thirumavalavan is very vocal about the oppression that Dalits face on the grounds of their caste. He is also a leader who advocates the cause of Tamil Nationalism.
Thirumavalavan is the current president of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.
The 52-year old politician contested the general elections in 1999 and 2004, but did not win both the times. In 2009, he contested the general elections again from Chidambaram constituency and this time he emerged victorious. In 2014 again he contested the Indian general elections and lost. He won Tamil Nadu state assembly elections in 2001 in alliance with DMK. He later resigned his post on account of some ideological differences with DMK.
Thol. Thirumavalavan is a man of letters. He has written books and political essays in Tamil. Two of his books have also been published in English. He holds degrees in Chemistry, Criminology and Law. He has also acted in a few Tamil movies.