SALEM: PMK founder S Ramadoss fainted while campaigning and was admitted to a private hospital in Salem on Sunday.

The incident occurred after Ramadoss addressed a public election rally in the Pallapatti area of Salem West constituency, where he was campaigning in support of sitting MLA and candidate R. Arul. Moments after his speech, while seated on stage and attempting to step down, he suddenly collapsed.

Party functionaries quickly rushed to his aid, managing to hold him before he fell. He was immediately lifted and carried to a waiting ambulance and taken to a private hospital in Asthampatti. The sudden incident left party cadres and supporters in shock, with many seen raising slogans in his support.

Earlier, Ramadoss had arrived from his residence in Thailapuram to participate in the campaign. During his speech, he appealed to voters to support the party’s gas cylinder symbol and asserted that “betrayers cannot win this election,” adding that people would deliver a fitting lesson and that justice would prevail. He also urged supporters not to be concerned over the mango symbol.

At the campaign meeting, his elder daughter Sreekanthi Ramadoss also addressed the gathering. The senior leader has recently been at the centre of an internal dispute within the party involving his son Anbumani Ramadoss over control of the PMK and its election symbol. Following the incident, a scheduled campaign meeting at Muthunayakkanpatti was cancelled, party sources said.