Former DMK Erode Central district secretary Thoppu Venkatachalam quits party
“I am leaving the DMK as I can no longer continue in the party owing to the mental anguish caused by my bitter experiences,” said Mr. Venkatachalam, who was previously a Minister in the erstwhile AIADMK government
Thoppu Venkatachalam, a former DMK Erode Central district secretary and Minister in the former AIADMK government, has announced his decision to leave the party. Addressing reporters in Perundurai, Venkatachalam, who was previously expelled from the AIADMK, expressed his gratitude for the Central district secretary post. However, he cited mental anguish from his experiences in the party as the reason for his resignation.
He stated he had no plans to join another political organization and wanted to move forward without holding past grievances against others. Concerned over the Perundurai constituency's development, Venkatachalam criticized the lack of progress in projects like the Perundurai-Kodiveri Combined Water Supply Scheme and the Athikadavu-Avinashi project.
Despite his bitterness, he continued to respect DMK president M.K. Stalin. Venkatachalam, who previously represented Perundurai in the Assembly as an AIADMK candidate, joined the DMK in July 2021. In the 2026 Assembly election, he received 60,609 votes, losing to AIADMK candidate S. Jayakumar by 9,693 votes. Jayakumar subsequently left the party to join Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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