Couple take top positions in Sivakasi panchayat union

Family in politics is not new when it comes to local body elections. T. Vanaraja of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a two-time chairman of Sivakasi panchayat union, has now got his daughter-in-law, V. Muthulakshmi, 33, elected to the post after the party swept 17 seats out of the 31 post of members in the union.

The political novice Ms. Muthulakshmi is happy that her husband V. Viveganraj was elected as the vice-chairperson of the same union.

The couple have emerged victorious on their first election. They had filed their nominations for the direct election to the posts of councillors in Sivakasi panchayat union in 2016, when the election got cancelled.

Mr. Viveganraj started his political career nine years back as Sivakasi union youth wing organiser of the DMK. Later, he became the Sivakasi south union party secretary.

He has been running an offset printing unit and is also into fireworks manufacturing. “My wife has been my partner in our business and comes to office regularly. She knows how to run a business, but I need to introduce her to full-time politics and make her politically sociable,” said Mr. Viveganraj.

He said that his role would be only to assist her in serving the people and not to dominate in her new role.

“I know a little bit of politics since my family has been into it for long. But, only now I have come into active politics. I am happy that my husband has become the vice-chairman, but I am confident that soon I can work independently as the chairperson,” Ms. Muthulakshmi said. The post of chairperson of Sivakasi union has been reserved for women.

She said that she came know more about the plight of the people of her union when she went for campaigning. “The first thing I noticed is not many streets lights are functional. Besides, many roads that were laid when my father-in-law was the chairperson need to be relaid,” said Ms. Muthulakshmi, a mother of two children.