The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has retained sitting MP Kanimozhi as its candidate from the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu. She is pitted against AIADMK’s R Sivasami Velumani and SDR Vijayaseelan of the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), which is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Here are five key facts about Kanimozhi:
1. Born on January 5, 1968, Kanimozhi is the daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and Rajathi Ammal. She is the half-sister of current chief minister MK Stalin. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Madras University.
2. After working in the media for a while, Kanimozhi made her political debut in 2007 with election to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. She was re-elected to the Upper House of Parliament in 2013. During her tenure, she was a member of several key committees, including Health and Family Welfare, Rural Development, Home Affairs, and External Affairs.
3. In 2011, Kanimozhi, former telecom minister A Raja, and promoters and top executives of some of India’s best-known telecom companies were named in the 2G scam case. The 2G trial began a year after the national auditor alleged massive irregularities in the allocation of second-generation or 2G licences during Mr Raja’s tenure as telecom minister. In December 2017, Kanimozhi, Mr Raja and others were acquitted in the case after the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them. On March 22, 2024, the Delhi High Court admitted the CBI’s appeal challenging the acquittals in the 2G case.
4. After two terms in the Rajya Sabha, Kanimozhi contested the 2019 general elections from the Thoothukudi seat and defeated BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan by a margin of over 3.4 lakh votes. Within the DMK, she has held several leadership positions, including deputy general secretary and the head of the party’s women’s branch.
5. Apart from her career in politics, Kanimozhi is also a published poet. Her literary works include Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam, Agathinai, Paarvaigal, Karukkum Marudhaani and Karuvarai Vaasanai. Her poems have also been translated into English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.
