Former Swatantra party MP Ramamoorthy passes away

P. Ramamoorthy, a former Member of Parliament representing the now-defunct constituency of Sivakasi, has died at his home in Sattur, in Virudhunagar district, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. He was 93 years old. He leaves behind his wife, four sons, and a daughter. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Sattur.

In 1962, at the age of 29, Ramamoorthy gained prominence by challenging the then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, a figure widely regarded as untouchable. Despite losing the election, his decision to contest against Kamaraj was met with approval from his Swatantra Party. Five years later, the party nominated Ramamoorthy from the Sivakasi Lok Sabha constituency. This time, he emerged victorious, securing around 1.94 lakh votes and defeating the Congress candidate P. A. Nadar by 31,600 votes.

Ramamoorthy did not encounter Kamaraj in Parliament until after Kamaraj's victory in the 1969 Nagercoil Lok Sabha byelection. Two years later, when the Swatantra party's founder, C. Rajagopalachari, allied with Kamaraj for the 1971 polls, Ramamoorthy could not reconcile with his party leader's move. He had left electoral politics by then.

In an interview with this reporter in April this year, Ramamoorthy stated that he had no personal animosity towards Kamaraj, whom he described as a "good man" who had done much for the State. "His hands were clean," he emphasized.