COIMBATORE: DMK’s Senthamangalam constituency sitting MLA K Ponnusamy died of cardiac arrest on Thursday.
He was 74. Around 3 am, Ponnusamy complained of chest pain and was rushed to Kolli Hills Government Hospital. After first aid, he was taken to a private hospital in Namakkal with ventilator support by an ambulance.
Ponnusamy died at 7.30 am, failing to respond to CPR. The hospital cited cardiac arrest as the reason for his death. He had already undergone angioplasty treatment following heart attacks.
In the 2021 Assembly polls, Ponnusamy defeated his nearest rival, AIADMK candidate Chandran, by a margin of 10,493 votes. In his first political outing too, Ponnusamy won from the Senthamangalam constituency in the 2006 Assembly polls, but lost twice earlier in the 2011 and 2016 polls.
The MLA began his political career in AIADMK, where he served as union secretary, before switching to DMK due to internal issues. The legislator, who had studied only up to class nine, is survived by his wife, Jayamani, son, Madeshwaran (39), and daughter, Poomalar (34).
Following his demise, the body was taken to his son’s house in Puliyankadu village in Nadukombai panchayat in Namakkal for public homage. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin paid his last respects and offered condolences to family members.
Ministers EV Velu, SS Sivasankar, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, R Rajendran, M Mathiventhan, MPs KRN Rajesh Kumar, VS Matheswaran, TM Selvaganapathy, MLAs, and other officials paid their last respects.