At a time when the ruling AIADMK is contemplating the pros and cons of contesting Tamil Nadu elections in alliance with a national party, Raveendranath Kumar, son of deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam, has decided to throw his hat into the ring. On February 4, an auspicious no-moon day, Kumar, popularly referred to as Ravi by his party colleagues, reached the AIADMK headquarters and paid Rs 25,000 for an application to seek a Lok Sabha ticket. He will contest from either Theni or Virudhunagar—both home constituencies.
The ruling AIADMK is all set to face their first elections in the absence of Jayalalithaa, and the factional feuds are at dizzying heights. “This is not my first time seeking a ticket. I have sought ticket from the party every assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Amma [Jayalalithaa] did not choose me. So, I worked for the victory of the candidates in several constituencies under Amma’s instructions,” Raveendranath told THE WEEK.
Clad in white shirt and black trouser, Ravi is soft spoken, with a smiling demeanour. Unlike his father, he doesn’t sport a streak of sacred ash or vermillion on his forehead. A management graduate, Ravi has his own following with the party, and a specific style of functioning. “I am not in my father's shadow. I would have gotten into politics even if my father was not in it,” says Ravi. Inspired by Jayalalithaa, Ravi first got into politics by way of an election campaign, in the late 90s, when he went around in his bicycle along with friends and relatives, campaigning for T.T.V. Dhinakaran who contested from Periyakulam constituency. “Amma made Dhinakaran contest from Periyakulam only because my father was there to garner votes for him. If not for us, Dhinakaran would have lost,” he said.
Ravi, who became a member of the AIADMK at the age of 18, in 1999, is still waiting for his turn to contest an election. “My father might be the deputy chief minister and the coordinator of the party. But, it is for the party high command to decide on whether I should contest. If they wish, I shall,” he says. Sitting on the first floor of his father’s Greenways Road official residence, Ravi always has visitors. Is he confident that he will get a ticket this time? “All these years Amma didn’t give me a ticket because my father was already in the fray. Amma knew me very well. She elevated me as an important functionary in the party,” adds Ravi.
Ravi’s tryst with politics, as he says, began in the days of Dhinakaran's entry. But, Ravi fell from grace when he was sacked by Jayalallithaa from the post of district secretary of the party’s youth wing. He was shunted out by Jayalalithaa for anti-party activities in 2016. He was sacked from the post along with the others in his family. It was all water under the bridge, says Ravi. “Everything Amma did was for a reason. So, I do not want to discuss it. I wish to work for the people and the party,” adds Ravi.
He is an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his public welfare schemes, and the way they are implemented. “I like him,” he says. Is an alliance with the BJP on the cards? It all depends on the decision taken by the party high command, he says.
