AIADMK's first-ever Member of Parliament, K Maya Thevar, passed away on Tuesday, August 9. The 87-year-old breathed his last at his native village, Chinnalpatti, in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul due to age-related illness. His family members told media persons that the veteran leader was not keeping well for the past few days and he passed away due to a massive heart attack.
Maya Thevar studied law at the erstwhile Madras Law College, and later became a practising lawyer in the Madras High Court. According to reports, he was influential in his home town in Dindigul and had an active interest in politics, for which he was approached to join the AIADMK. The veteran leader was handpicked by the AIADMK's founder-leader MG Ramachandran to contest parliamentary polls. Also the one who selected the "two leaves" symbol for the AIADMK, Maya Thevar was the first party leader to contest an election, a bye-poll from the Dindigul constituency in 1973, on the new symbol and won.
Expressing his deep condolences, AIADMK interim General Secretary and former Chief Minister K Palaniswami said, "He was the first person to contest on the two leaves symbol of the AIADMK shortly after the party was formed and went on to win with a huge margin." Former Chief Minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam noted that it was Maya Thevar who had selected the party symbol. He also said that Maya Thevar, being a practicing advocate, had contested several cases on behalf of the party. After he was elected as MP, the late leader quit AIADMK and joined DMK, and contested from Dindigul where he was elected as MP again. Before his death, Maya Thevar was not actively involved in politics for over 15 years.
AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, and AIADMK's expelled former Interim General Secretary VK Sasikala also expressed their condolences on his passing away.