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MDMK legislator dead

MADURAI: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA Veera. Elavarasan, representing the Tirumangalam constituency in the district, died here on Saturday following multiple organ failure. He is survived by his wife, Manickavalli, and three children.

Mr. Elavarasan, 48, was admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday evening following a massive cardiac arrest. He underwent angioplasty after a 3-cm block was detected in the main vessel. The end came at 10.40 a.m. at the intensive respiratory care unit, hospital sources said.

A postgraduate in economics, Mr. Elavarasan began his political career as a functionary of the students’ wing of the DMK. He became the party secretary of the Kottampatti union.

A staunch follower of Vaiko, he joined the MDMK when it was formed in 1994 and became its rural district secretary. He was one of the party functionaries imprisoned along with Mr. Vaiko under the POTA for 19 months.

After unsuccessfully contesting the elections in 1996 and 2001 from Melur, he was elected to the Assembly from Tirumangalam in 2006.

A sobbing Vaiko described Mr. Elavarasan as a selfless, honest worker of the party, who always followed the ideals of Anna. “A soft-spoken person, Elavarasan was firm in his ideology.” The body was taken to his native Pallapatti, near Kottampatti, where Mr. Vaiko led his party workers in paying homage.

MDMK Sivakasi MP A. Ravichandran and MLAs R. Varadharajan and R. Gnanadoss and AIADMK MLAs Natham R. Viswanathan and R. Samy paid respects. The funeral will take place on Sunday, party sources said.

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi condoled the death of Mr. Elavarasan. In a statement, he said he had observed Mr. Elavarasan conducting himself in a dignified manner during debates in the Assembly.

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