Ganapathi P. Rajkumar
Ganapathi P. Raj Kumar | |
|---|---|
| 5th Mayor of Coimbatore | |
| In office 2016–2014 | |
| Preceded by | S. M. Velusamy |
| Succeeded by | A. Kalpana |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Other political affiliations | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
Ganapathi P. Raj Kumar was the 5th mayor of Coimbatore city, Tamil Nadu from 2011-16 from AIADMK party . He succeeded S. M. Velusamy of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as the mayor, by defeating his nearest rival Nandhakumar of Bharatiya Janata Party.[1]. Rajkumar, a journalism graduate, did his PhD thesis on late J Jayalalithaa. It was his educational qualifications and active functioning as a councillor that caught the attention of Jayalalithaa.
Mayoral election
In the mayoral elections of Coimbatore city in the year 2014, Ganapathi P. Raj Kumar on the side of AIADMK defeated Nandhakumar of BJP with a distinct margin of 2.91 lakh votes. In this election both DMK and INC didn't participate.
AIADMK-supported Rajkumar won 420,104 votes whereas BJP supported Nandhakumar won only 128,761 votes. Than these both the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s C. Padmanabhan managed only 31,000 votes in the election.
Ganapathi Raj Kumar was elected as Mayor of Coimbatore.[2]
Post AIADMK
Rajkumar joined DMK on 22nd December 2020 in presence of M.K.Stalin as he felt he was sidelined by AIADMK high command. He was selected as a DMK candidate to contest from Coimbatore Lok Sabha Constituency for 2024 Indian General Elections.