C Velayutham, the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Tamil Nadu, died of cardiac arrest at his home in Karuppukodu near Nagercoil on Wednesday, May 8. He was 74 years old and is survived by his son Ram Bhagavath and daughters Nivedita and Sivanandhini.
Velayutham created history in Tamil Nadu by becoming the first MLA of the BJP in 1996 from the Padmanabhapuram Assembly constituency, The Times of India reported.
Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media platform X, “Anguished by the passing away of Thiru C. Velayutham Ji, the first BJP MLA from Tamil Nadu. It is people like him who have built our party in Tamil Nadu and explained our development agenda to the people. He will also be remembered for his concern for the poor and downtrodden. Condolences to his family and admirers.”
According to The Hindu, Velayutham joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1963 and the Hindu Munnani in 1982 after the Mandaikaadu riots. He unsuccessfully contested from the Padmanabhapuram Assembly seat in 1989 and 1991 elections as a BJP nominee. However, in the 1996 Assembly election, Velayutham emerged victorious by defeating Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate Bala Janathipathy with a margin of 4,540 votes.
He was reportedly the lone winner out of 143 contestants of the BJP, which entered the electoral fray without aligning itself with Dravidian parties. He had again unsuccessfully contested in the 2001 and 2006 Assembly elections, following which he quit active politics.
Remembering Velayutham, the BJP national president JP Nadda wrote on X, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of former MLA and social worker C. Velayutham ji. His commitment and dedication to the party and to society will always be remembered.”