TN polls: Meet CPI nominee K Marimuthu who lives in a hut, has no money to refill his LPG

Chennai, March 23: In a political battle which has quite a few crorepatis in fray, CPI's K Marimuthu is a relatively poor candidate, with the Left nominee having a few thousand rupees in his possession and lives in a hut.

Single phase polling to 234 Assembly constituencies is scheduled in Tamil Nadu on April 6 and the CPI is contesting from six seats as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.

The party has fielded Marimuthu from the traditional left stronghold of Thiruthuraipoondi, a reserved segment in Tiruvarur district.

While some of his own comrades contesting the polls have declared movable and immovable assets valued at a few crores of rupees, many other rivals even own swanky four-wheelers that could cost a fortune to many. Marimuthu, living in a hut, is keen to serve people from Thiruthuraipoondi.

CPI has no representation in the outgoing Assembly. Marimuthu''s wife owns 75 cents of land while he has Rs 3,000 cash in hand, besides Rs 58,156 in bank balance.

His spouse has Rs 1,000 and total movable assets valued at Rs 79,304, according to the poll affidavit filed by the CPI nominee.

Her immovable assets total Rs 1.75 lakh while the aspiring legislator has none.

"People in my constituency are poor. They have no patta or means to build houses and so continue to live in huts," the 50-year-old Marimuthu told PTI.

While he has been in active politics since 1994, Marimuthu and his family reside in a hut in Kaduvakudi village and use earthen stove as they cannot afford to refill LPG.

Two years ago, when cyclone Gaja blew his hut, Marimuthu who obtained Rs 50,000 through a NGO to mend it, gave the entire sum to another person in the village who was ineligible for compensation as he did not have a patta and helped him repair the hut.

"I will safeguard the farm lands and ensure employment in the constituency (if he wins)" Marimuthu who had been in the forefront of agitations against hydrocarbon project, assures. He had been CPI Kottur union secretary for a decade.

Thiruthuraipoondi has been CPI's bastion since 1971, though DMK''s P Adalarasan had won the seat in the 2016 Assembly election.

CPI is now contesting in alliance with the DMK and this may brighten Marimuthu's prospects at the hustings. His main challenger is ruling AIADMK''s C Sureshkumar.