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On April 9, along with her three-year-old daughter, Porkodi Armstrong, clad in a simple salwar kameez, walked from one shop to another in the blistering heat in Tamil Nadu’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency. She was trailed by a group of around twenty supporters.
Porkodi, 51 is the wife of K Armstrong, Tamil Nadu chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who was murdered. This is her first election.
K Armstrong, was a revered lawyer and Buddhist Ambedkarite Dalit leader known for his grassroots advocacy.
On July 5, 2024 he was hacked to death by four armed men in Perambur. Widespread protests erupted across the state, with pressure mounting on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party over concerns of law and order.
The ruling party drew further resentment when it objected to his burial within the BSP’s office premises in Perambur, citing potential law and order concerns — a position later upheld by the Madras High Court.
At the time of Armstrong’s death, Porkodi was a homemaker. In the months that followed, she stepped into politics and is now contesting from Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Throughout her campaign, residents greet her warmly, addressing her as their “Akka” meaning elder sister or “Anni” meaning sister-in-law.
“People are viewing Porkodi as a family member. There is a sense of responsibility she has instilled in the community, with several people believing that she is like a daughter from their own house,” said Pulianthope Mohan, an activist and advocate based in the constituency.
A combination of anti-incumbency sentiment against the DMK, continued reverence for Armstrong, and Porkodi’s appeal as a widow seeking accountability has made the contest in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar more complex.
Stepping into the political arena
Tamil Nadu police arrested 28 people in connection with Armstrong’s murder. The accused cut across several party lines, including the ruling DMK, the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC).
A 7,000-page chargesheet filed in October 2024 attributed the murder to gang rivalry. Armstrong’s family rejected this finding and demanded a CBI probe.
Following his murder, the BSP appointed Porkodi as its Tamil Nadu coordinator. However, she was soon expelled, by her account, following differences with state president P Anand.
On July 5, 2025, the first anniversary of Armstrong’s death, Porkodi launched the Tamil Maanila Bahujan Samaj Katchi (TMBSK), an Ambedkarite party that is still building its base. She is the only candidate the party has fielded this year.
K Jayashankar, a BSP spokesperson, told TNM that given her “difficulties,” the national leadership felt that “too much political responsibility wouldn’t be right for her.”
“She was advised to focus on K Armstrong’s murder case, also considering she had a small child to take care of. She subsequently left the party and started her own unit,” he said, adding that the BSP had no role in her decision. The BSP is contesting 120 of the 240 seats in the election.
During the launch of her own party, porkodi responded to this comment and said the manner in which she was sidelined was not right. “They are telling me and the child to stay at home and only look after the case. This is not right,” she said, questioning the legitimacy of Anandan, the incumbent BSP chief in Tamil Nadu, to lead the party.
In March 2026, her party joined the AIADMK-BJP alliance, and she filed her nomination papers.
Since then, Porkodi has been campaigning door to door, seeking justice for her husband and asking voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar to send her to the Assembly. “Samathuva Thalaivar entered politics for the welfare of people. I've entered politics to continue his work,” she told TNM earlier this week. Armstrong was often referred to as Samathuva Thalaivar, or the Leader of Equality.
Porkodi is competing alongside DMK candidate KS Ravichandran who has contested and won from Egmore, a Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved constituency and Tamila Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate MK Pallavi. Notably, Porkodi was the only candidate recognised by name in the conversations TNM had with Thiru Vi Ka Nagar’s residents.
Porkodi is in the fray alongside DMK candidate KS Ravichandran, a former MLA from the Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved Egmore constituency, and TVK candidate MK Pallavi.
On ground, while residents spoke to TNM of party preferences, Porkodi was the only candidate they consistently identified by name.
How do people view her?
Kamalammal, a pakoda seller in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, said that when the state goes to polls on April 23, she will consider issues such as recurring flooding and rising prices while casting her vote. “My family and I have always voted for AIADMK. This time too, we are voting for Porkodi because the DMK hasn’t done enough to tackle our issues,” she said.
A Dalit Christian voter, who did not wish to be identified, told TNM that despite the constituency alternating between the AIADMK and the DMK for over 15 years, little has changed on the ground.
At the mention of Armstrong’s name, his face lit up. “Porkodi’s husband has done a lot of good work for the slums in this constituency and extended support to the slum board. We believe she will help out in the same way her husband did,” he said.
He pointed to persistent local issues. “We have many problems that need attention. Whenever it floods, this lane near the Anjaneyar temple is the first part of North Chennai shown on TV. It has been this way for the past 15 years,” he added.
Ram Murthy, a 63-year-old resident of the area also raised the concern of floods and pledged his support for Porkodi akka (elder sister.) “Despite having a very small child, she has entered politics to do good. It would have been even nicer if her husband was still alive. But she has our vote,” he said.
Even voters who don’t intend to vote for Porkodi spoke of her with affection.
“Armstrong has done a lot of good work. I believe his wife is capable of the same but I have always voted for DMK because of the good they have done for the school students and owing to the Magalir Urimai Thogazi (a DMK scheme where women are given Rs 1,000 every month),” said Kavitha, a small food business owner.
Another Kavitha, who is a tailor in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, intends to place her bets on TVK. “I would have happily voted for Porkodi, but she is in an alliance with the BJP, a party that insists on NEET exam for medical aspirants, which makes it difficult for my daughter, who wants to study medicine,” she said and added. “If not for that, I would have happily voted for her.”
Thiru Vi Ka Nagar’s electorate comprises 30% Dalit voters, who have largely backed the DMK so far. This time, Porkodi has emerged as a strong contender.
Ramchander and Balraj, two voters from the Dalit community, referred to her as their “sister”. “Her husband deserves justice, and even we who look up to Armstrong want justice for him,” said the duo.
When asked about the ideological divide between Armstrong’s Ambedkarism and the AIADMK-BJP's brand of Hindutva politics, the men were quick to come to Porkodi’s defence. “Those divides and issues are at the top. That is no reason not to support Porkodi. For our constituency, Armstrong’s murder is a huge case,” they added.
This sentiment was echoed by multiple voters, including those from the Dalit community, who told TNM that they intend to support Porkodi despite reservations about her alliance with the AIADMK and the BJP.
Porkodi Armstrong’s emergence despite rifts and contradictions
For the past five years, the DMK has held Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, aided by welfare measures that were largely well-received by residents. DMK’s P Sivakumar won the last two elections.
However, the party’s handling of the December 2023 floods, along with persistent flooding and infrastructure issues, has left sections of the electorate frustrated enough to consider the AIADMK.
This is despite the AIADMK’s perception as a predominantly pro-Brahmin party, in a constituency with a significant Dalit population.
In fact, Armstrong himself had rejected both the DMK and the AIADMK, declaring them structurally incapable of offering justice to the Dalit community.
“Our parents and brothers are all from DMK. We're taught to listen to our parents, but I left DMK, despite my father's involvement with the party. Our focus should be on rejecting both DMK and AIADMK and committing to building a strong BSP. We should be following behenji's [Mayawati] teachings," Armstrong said at a public meeting in 2022.
Porkodi’s TMBSP has not directly addressed Armstrong’s rejection of the Dravidian parties, the BJP, or the ideological tensions arising from her alliance with them.
Michael Das, a leader of TMBSP, said politics in north and south India operate very differently. “Anni (sister-in-law) is addressing issues that matter to people. Issues of drinking water, housing board, flood and mosquito menace all matter. Caste is barely an issue in Chennai,” he said.
He added that the alliance with AIADMK and BJP was not born out of compulsion. “Even with the understanding that we stand by Ambedkarite politics, there has been an extension of support from AIADMK. Why are we fighting against DMK? It is because Armstrong’s murder was wrong as was the investigation,” he said, adding, “We will never indulge in communal or anti-people politics.”
According to Pulianthope, Porkodi's AIADMK-BJP alliance has not emerged as a central issue in this election. “She is still a staunch Ambedkarite. She is still the woman who stood with the sanitation workers when they were protesting against the DMK government in the state for job regularisation and better wages and that matters,” he said.
This rise in anti-incumbency, coupled with Armstrong’s reputation as a “man of the people”, suggests that Porkodi is a strong contender.
Whether that support translates into votes will only be clear on counting day. For now, Porkodi’s candidacy has unsettled the constituency, cutting across loyalty, ideology and emotion.