File photo of DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi
Credit: PTI Photo
Political Party: DMK
Parliamentary Constituency: Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu
Known as the literary heir of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Kanimozhi made a smooth transition to politics in 2007 when she was elected to the Rajya Sabha at the age of 39.
Firmly rooted in Dravidian ideology, the 56-year-old, who began her career as a journalist, worked her way up in the DMK to emerge as its female face as the party makes a concerted effort to reach out to the womenfolk, who have traditionally favoured the AIADMK.
As the DMK’s points person in Delhi, Kanimozhi, through her soft-spoken, networking skills, and affable nature, made friends across the political spectrum, much like her father. Over the years, she effectively replaced Karunanidhi’s nephew Murasoli Maran, the crafty politician who sowed the seeds for DMK’s prominence in national politics, as the party’s face in Delhi.
After two terms in the Rajya Sabha, Kanimozhi successfully entered the Lok Sabha in 2019 by winning the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat, dominated by the Nadars to which her mother Rajathi belongs, by a wide margin of 3.47 lakh.
Kanimozhi, who always has her ears to the ground, won accolades for the composure she displayed while carrying out relief and rehabilitation when the Thoothukudi district was battered with floods last December.