Former Minister Sengottaiyan files nomination for Gobichettipalayam seat on TVK ticket

Former Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, 77, on Monday (March 30, 2026) filed his nomination papers to contest the Assembly election from the Gobichettipalayam constituency as a candidate of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). He submitted his papers before the Returning Officer, at noon.

Earlier, he garlanded the statue of social reformer E.V. Ramasamy and took out a rally in an open vehicle from the bus stand to the office amid a large number of supporters.

A native of Kullampalayam, Mr. Sengottaiyan joined the AIADMK at its inception under M.G. Ramachandran and went on to become one of its prominent leaders. He served as president of the Kullampalayam panchayat and was first elected to the Assembly in 1977 from Sathyamangalam. He later represented Gobichettipalayam eight times, turning it into an AIADMK stronghold, and held several ministerial portfolios during the party’s tenure in power.

Mr. Sengottaiyan was in November, 2025, expelled from the AIADMK following internal differences. He subsequently resigned from his Assembly seat and joined the TVK, marking a shift in the constituency’s political landscape. His only defeat in the constituency came in 1996, when G.P. Venkidu of the DMK won by a margin of 14,729 votes. He did not contest the 2001 election. The AIADMK has fielded V.B. Prabhu, a newcomer, while the DMK has nominated N. Nallasivam, a district-level functionary.

The constituency is set to witness a three-cornered contest among the TVK, AIADMK, and DMK, with campaigning expected to gather pace in the coming days.