At 42, she is daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi and Rajathi Ammal.
She is seen as her father's literary heir and heads the party's literary wing.
When the Maran brothers - Dayanidhi and Kalanithi, sons of DMK veteran Murasoli Maran - parted ways with Karunanidhi's family (they are now back), Kanimozhi was brought into the Rajya Sabha in 2007.
A Tamil poetess, Kanimozhi had a stint in journalism.
She was a sub-editor in The Hindu newspaper. She looked after Kungumam, a Tamil magazine belonging to the Sun TV group.
She was a columnist for The Week magazine and features editor for a Singapore-based Tamil daily, Tamil Murasu.
Kanimozhi had her schooling in Church Park Convent - where AIADMK chief and former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa too studied - and did her Masters in Economics from the University of Madras.
She is the prime force behind the Chennai Sangamam, a week-long festival of folk arts held in Chennai by NGO Tamil Maiyam, of which she is a board member.
Queried about the raids by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Tamil Maiyam's office, Kanimozhi told IANS: "I have no comments."
Kanimozhi organises job fairs for rural youth under the banner "Kalaignar 85" in various districts in Tamil Nadu.
She has published four books in Tamil. Some of them have translated into English, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu.
She is married to G. Aravindan and they have a son.
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