Current affairs

Senior DMK leader and former TN MLA passes away at 74: MK Stalin and leaders pay tribute!

By alagu, 12 October, 2022
DMK, MK Stalin, Tamilnadu

Senior DMK leader and former legislator of Tamil Nadu Kovai Thangam passed away in the morning hours of Wednesday - October 12 at the age of 74 in Coimbatore due to age-related ailments. He was a veteran politician in Tamil Nadu and after learning about his demise, several leaders including Chief Minister MK Stalin paid tribute and expressed their condolences to the bereaving family. 

Kovai Thangam was with the Congress party before joining DMK last year and had served in the assembly for two consecutive times representing the Valparai constituency in Coimbatore. He was a prominent leader in the Congress party and joined late leader GK Moopanar when he launched Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) party. Thangam contested in the 2001 assembly polls from Valparai in the TMC ticket. 

He won the race and entered the assembly for the first time. Five years later, Kovai Thangam joined the Congress and contested in the 2006 polls from Valparai as a Congress candidate. He became an MLA for the second consecutive time and rose to prominency in the Kongu belt of Tamil Nadu. However, his career as a legislator took a wrong turn after a decade as he began to lose his stronghold. 

In 2011 assembly polls, Kovai Thangam had contested for the third time from Valparai only to face a defeat. He remained with the Congress party until Moopanar's son GK Vasan parted ways with the Congress and revived his father's political venture - Tamil Maanila Congress. Kovai Thangam then joined hands with Vasan and he had served as the vice president of Tamil Maanila Congress. 

A decade later, during 2021 assembly polls, Vasan's TMC allied with the ADMK and contested in the elections. Kovai Thangam hoped that he would get a ticket to contest in Valparai. However, he didn't win the candidacy due to which he developed discontent against the alliance. During that time, he accused ADMK leader SP Velumani of blocking his prospect to contest in the elections. 

He slammed the TMC and ADMK alliance and later he announced that he is quitting from TMC. During the 2021 polls, Thangam said he would contest from Valparai independently, but his plan didn't get materialized. He then decided to work for the DMK alliance and campaigned for Communist candidate Arumugam in Valparai. Arumugam was the one who defeated Thangam in 2011 and the latter turned heads after campaigning for the former in 2021. 

However, Arumugam lost the race to ADMK's Amul Kandasamy. After the 2021 polls, Kovai Thangam met Chief Minister MK Stalin and officially joined DMK. He was not active in politics for the past few months due to his ailing health. Recently, he was admitted to Ramakrishna Hospital in Coimbatore and amid getting treatments, Kovai Thangam breathed his last in the wee hours of Tuesday. 

Thangam was a resident of Saibaba Colony in the city and after his demise, his mortal remain was taken to his residence and kept for a public homage. His family announced that the last rites will be held in the evening hours of Wednesday. After learning about the demise of the veteran politician, several leaders are paying tribute to the deceased. In his tribute note, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote, "I was shocked and saddened after hearing the news of the demise of former Valparai MLA Kovai Thangam. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kovai Thangam, who had immense affection, respect, and confidence on me." 

 

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