Thoppu Venkatachalam quits DMK, cites bitter experience

COIMBATORE: Former DMK Erode central district secretary Thoppu ND Venkatachalam resigned from the party on Monday, days after being removed from his post, citing bitter experiences.

Venkatachalam, who won the Perundurai assembly constituency in Erode district twice, in 2011 and 2016, as an AIADMK candidate, had served as Revenue and Environment Minister in the erstwhile Jayalalithaa cabinet.

Denied an AIADMK ticket in the 2021 Assembly election, he contested as an independent but was unsuccessful. He subsequently joined the DMK and contested from Perundurai in the 2026 Assembly election but lost to the AIADMK candidate. As part of a recent organisational overhaul, the DMK relieved Venkatachalam of his post and subsequently dissolved the Erode central district unit. “I am resigning from the DMK’s primary membership as I can no longer continue in the party due to the mental anguish caused by bitter experiences,” Venkatachalam said.

He said he had no complaints against former DMK minister S Muthusamy and clarified that he had no immediate plans to join another political party. Venkatachalam said he continued to hold great regard for DMK president MK Stalin, who had reposed faith in him and given him an opportunity to contest the Assembly election. He added that he would continue working for the welfare and development of people in his constituency.