Sasikanth Senthil, 45, won with the highest margin from Tamil Nadu, marking another milestone for this former IAS officer. He won the Tiruvallur seat by a margin of 5,72,155 votes. Senthil started as a software engineer before switching to teaching and then to the civil services, joining the Karnataka cadre. The 2009-batch officer made another switch after 10 years, initially to work with grassroots organisations, before taking a more active political role by joining the Congress. He was instrumental in setting up the Congress war room during the 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka and finally handling the national war room during the Lok Sabha elections.
“I got very little time to campaign for myself. It was the cadre who campaigned and the people who blessed me. It has been a very humbling experience,” said Senthil, about the victory from his hometown. When he is not busy with NGOs and civil society groups holding workshops on social issues, he likes playing guitar. Music, arts and design of every form interest him. He feels that the idea of India is intrinsically linked with celebrations. “Art symbolises celebration,” he said.
As he begins a new innings, all eyes will be on Senthil to see how he brings diversity to the Lok Sabha and its debates. “There is a framework for politics, bound by hierarchy, that there should be no criticism,” he said. “I want to break those structures and open it up for individuals, especially youngsters.”