Verdict 2019: Baalu oldest MP, OPS’ son youngest

Out of a total of 802 candidates, 77-year-old TR Baalu from DMK emerged as the oldest Parliamentarian, while P Raveendranath Kumar aged 39 years from the AIADMK emerged as the youngest Parliamentarian.

Baalu, who has been a five-time member of Parliament, four times from Chennai South and once from Sriperumbudur contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Sriperumbudur constituency and defeated his opponent from PMK with more than 56.4 per cent votes. Baalu was elected to Parliament as a member of Rajya Sabha in 1986.  

After being elected to Lok Sabha first in 1996, he became Minister of State in the Ministry Petroleum and Natural Gas. He was also deputed with the additional charge of the then Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources and Cabinet Minister of Environment and Forests in 1999. He was also appointed as the Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways in 2004. 

Son of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Raveendranath Kumar contested from his native Theni constituency. The rookie has time and again expressed his interest in politics stating that he would choose politics as his career even if his father was not a politician. Contesting against Congress veteran EVKS Elangovan, Raveendranath had polled 2,59,939 votes securing 43.84 per cent vote share and won with a margin of 43,405 votes.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, six veteran Parliamentarians have won with huge margins. Of them, five have served as union ministers. 

Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja, SS Palanimanickam, TR Baalu, S Jagathrakshakan and Thol Thirumavalavan have proved their prominence once again. Dayanidhi, son of former union minister Murasoli Maran won for the third time from Chennai Central defeating PMK candidate SR Sam Paul. He won in 2004 and 2009 elections.   

Former Telecom Minister A Raja, who won from the Nilgiris, was a four-time MP from the DMK. He earlier represented Perambalur before shifting to The Nilgiris. 

SS Palanimanickam, who is five-time MP from Thanjavur won against NR Natarajan of TMC. Palanimanickam won four continuous elections since 1996 and also served as the Minister of state in the ministry of finance in 2004. Another five-time MP and also the oldest Parliamentarian in Tamil Nadu, TR Baalu repeated the feat from Sriperumbudur. 

S Jagathrakshakan is a threetime MP of DMK who has won from Arakkonam constituency twice in 1999 and 2009. A prominent businessman, Jagathrakshakan was Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in 2009. VCK leader Thirumavalavan, who was first elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Chidambaram in 2009, made a comeback after a decade in 2019 from the same constituency.