: K.A. Sengottaiyan, a long-standing member of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), has now been made the party’s presidium chairman following the removal of incumbent chairman E. Madhusudanan from the post after the later switched over to Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s camp.
Known for his affableness, the 69-year-old Sengottaiyan is a popular figure among the party cadre and the public. Regarded as someone who knows every nook and corner of the State as the back of his hand, he is an an able hand who organised the election tours of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Despite having been sidelined by the party leadership more than once, he remained steadfast in his loyalty to the party.
In March 1989, when the Assembly witnessed violence, Mr. Sengottaiyan was in limelight as the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi accused the former of hitting him [Mr. Karunanidhi] and breaking his spectacles.
Solid track-record
A seven-time legislator, Mr. Sengottaiyan was first elected from the Sathyamangalam Assembly constituency in 1977 when the AIADMK captured power for the first time. Three years later, he shifted to his native place, Gobichettiyapalaym, from where he won six times. In the 1996 elections, he tasted his only defeat in the constituency. Five years later, he was not given ticket to contest in the Assembly polls. In 2006, he returned to the Assembly after a gap of 10 years.
In the first Cabinet headed by Jayalalithaa, he held the portfolios of Transport and Forests. Between May 2011 and July 2012, he was Minister for Agriculture, Information Technology and Revenue. Since then, he has maintained a low key even though he was given the ticket in the 2016 Assembly elections when he defeated his nearest rival and Congress nominee, S.V. Saravanan.
When there were reports of his disenchantment after the death of Jayalalithaa, he was mollified by Ms. Sasikala, interim general secretary of the party. About a week ago, he was made one of the organising secretaries.
