Thol. Thirumavalavan | |
|---|---|
 Photo for Lok Sabha in 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | M. Chandrakasi |
| Constituency | Chidambaram |
| In office 31 July 2009 – 17 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | E. Ponnuswamy |
| Succeeded by | M. Chandrakasi |
| Constituency | Chidambaram |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 14 May 2001 – 3 February 2004 | |
| Chief Minister | J. Jayalalithaa |
| Preceded by | S. Puratchimani |
| Succeeded by | V. Ganeshan |
| Constituency | Mangalore |
| Chairperson of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | |
| Assumed office 21 January 1990 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 August 1962 Anganur, composite Tiruchirappalli District, Madras State (now in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu), India |
| Political party |  Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (1982 - Present) |
| Other political affiliations | Dalit Panthers (till 1982) |
| Parent | Tholkappiyan (father) Periyammal (mother) |
| Residence(s) | Anganur, Tamil Nadu, India[1] |
| Alma mater | Presidency college, Chennai |
Tholkappiyan Thirumavalavan (born 17 August 1962), better known as Thol. Thirumavalavan is a political leader, scholar and activist from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is a Member of Parliament from Chidambaram. Leader and President of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.[2][3] He rose to prominence in the 1990s as a bahujan leader, and formally entered politics in 1999. His political platform centres on ending caste-based discrimination and consequently the caste system. He has also expressed support for Tamil nationalist movements in Sri Lanka.
He contested the 1999 and 2004 general elections unsuccessfully and won the 2009 general elections from the Chidambaram constituency. He won the 2001 state assembly elections in alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a post from which he resigned in 2004 quoting ideological differences with DMK. He is an author, and has also acted in Tamil cinema.
His confrontation with Pattali Makkal Katchi and its leader Ramadoss has resulted in frequent clashes between Dalits and the Vanniyars. Both parties have accused each other of instigating violence against the other community. Both Thirumavalavan and Ramadoss reconciled their differences and worked together during the period of 2004 to 2009, when they were part of the same electoral alliance.
In 2019 Thirumavalavan regained his Chidambaram seat and has been a vocal Opposition MP. In 2021, he led his party to win 4 seats in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.
- ^ "Members : Lok Sabha". loksabhaph.nic.in. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Conversion weakens our nos., says TN's dalit face Thol Thirumavalavan". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Thol Thirumavalavan Has a Way for Dravidian Parties to Keep BJP at Bay". Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.