Vikravandi MLA Pugazhenthi Passes Away At 71 After Brief Illness

Pugazhenthi, who was also DMK Villupuram South District Secretary, has been receiving treatment for his illness in a private hospital in Chennai for quite some time now.

Pugazhenthi was a strongman in Villupuram and a loyalist of DMK senior leader Ponmudi. ( Image Source :X/@pugazhenthidmk )

Vikravandi DMK MLA Pugazhenthi died due to age-related illness at Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday. Pugazhenthi was elected as an MLA after he won Vikravandi Assembly elections defeating AIADMK candidate Muthamilselvan by a margin of 9,000 votes in 2021. 

Pugazhenthi, who served as the DMK Villupuram West District Secretary, had been undergoing treatment for his illness at Apollo Hospital in Chennai for an extended period. The 71-year-old has reportedly been grappling with geriatric complications.

Against the backdrop, he went to Vikravandi on Friday to attend Chief Minister Stalin's election campaign on VK Salai at Vikravandi. However, he collapsed on the stage. He was immediately rushed to Villupuram Government Hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed due to complications on Saturday, as per a report on ABP Nadu. 

Within the DMK party, he commenced his political journey as a branch secretary in 1973 and steadily advanced to the position of district representative in 1980. Notably, he was appointed as the Villupuram district secretary in 2020.

Pugazhenthi was a strongman in Villupuram and a loyalist of DMK senior leader Ponmudi. On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Minister Ponmudi attended the funeral, visibly emotional as he shed tears and offered his heartfelt condolences to the family members of the late DMK MLA.

Previously, Vikravandi constituency faced a byelection after the death of its sitting MLA in 2019. K. Rathamani, the then DMK MLA from Vikravandi constituency, passed away at the age of 67 after a short illness at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry.

Following his demise, a by-election was necessitated and it was contested by Pugazhendhi and Muthamil Selvan R in 2019. However, Muthamilselvan defeated Pugazhenthi by securing 1,13,766 votes. Pugazhenthi was pushed to the second spot with 68,842 votes.