E V K S Elangovan: The consensus man in faction-ridden Tamil Nadu Congress

Chennai: E V K S Elangovan, the firebrand former chief of the Tamil Nadu Congress who took on the mighty DMK and AIADMK, especially late J Jayalalithaa, and widely known as a consensus builder in the faction-ridden state unit, passed away here on Saturday. He was 75 and is survived by his wife Varalakshmi and son Sanjay.

The grand nephew of legendary social reformer E V R Periyar, Elangovan, who was a MLA from Erode (East), took his last breath at 10.12 am at a private hospital where he was undergoing treatment for breathlessness. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in the by-elections held in 2023 after the death of his son and incumbent MLA, Thirumahan Eevera.

Elangovan nurtured many young leaders in the party and played an instrumental role in reviving Congress’ alliance with DMK in 2016 after the latter broke off in 2013. As TNCC chief, he ensured that the media limelight fell on the Congress and dared to challenge the well-entrenched Dravidian parties and its stalwarts, M Karunanidhi, and J Jayalalithaa.

‘Consensus builder’

The deceased leader also played a key role in facilitating the return of P Chidambaram into the Congress in 2004 by merging his Congress Jananayaga Peravai.

Born into Periyar’s family, Elangovan, son of one of the founders of the DMK E V K Sampath joined the Congress in the late 1970s, though his mother was associated with the AIADMK, and was elected as MLA from Sathyamangalam in 1984 and as MP from Gobichettipalayam in and 2004.

Popular for his one-liners and taking-on political giants like Jayalalithaa, Elangovan was a surprise choice to head the TN Congress, which had lost most of its leaders and cadres to a breakaway political party Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) floated by the veteran G K Moopanar, in 2000.

After Moopanar’s death, Elangovan used his political acumen to push the TMC, which was thrust into the shoulders of his then reluctant son G K Vasan, to merge with the Congress.

His ascent in the Congress

In fact, Elangovan’s meteoric ascent within the Congress was intricately connected with the rise and fall of Vasan in the party. After the merger, Elangovan had to vacate the TNCC chief post for Vasan but got a promotion as a Minister of State when Congress cobbled up the UPA-I coalition in 2004.

And when Vasan broke off from the Congress yet again in 2014 to revive the TMC, after an eight-year stint as Union Minister, the party chose Elangovan to lead the state unit once again, effectively preventing a vertical split. He quit as TNCC chief after the party’s disastrous performance under his watch.

“Elangovan’s biggest contribution to the Congress was to get the party the required media attention, which no other leader could get. Though he was short-tempered, he knew how to build consensus and rejuvenate party cadres. He never minced words, never beat around the bush. He always spoke from his heart,” a senior Congress leader told DH.

Another leader, who worked with EVKS, said if not for Elangovan, the TN Congress would have split vertically once again. “He personally met leaders who were then approached by Vasan to join his party and asked them to remain in Congress. His down-to-earth approach ensured that many of them rallied behind the party,” the second leader added.

Spat with Jayalalithaa

Elangovan’s first tenure as Congress chief was a rollercoaster ride as it came around the time Jayalalithaa launched an all-round attack on Sonia Gandhi by raking up her foreign origin and referring to her Italian name.

The state Congress chief took Jayalalithaa head-on – his brave politics brought him to the media limelight -- and was involved in several war of words and tussle with her during his political career – he had to stay put in Delhi for four days after the police attempted to arrest him for his derogatory remarks on Jayalalithaa’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi in 2015.

Elangovan returned to Tamil Nadu only after Jayalalithaa appealed for the cases against him to be withdrawn.

Condemned and commended in equal measures, Elangovan never spared even his party colleagues on the issue of alliance. The outspoken leader often asked the Congress leaders and cadres not to criticise senior alliance partner DMK out of turn by reasoning that the party wouldn’t have succeeded at the hustings with the support of the Dravidian party.

Though they both had their own share of political differences, Chidambaram did lavish praise on Elangovan in 2017. “I like him so much that we clash sometimes. It’s not because of any personal grudge. Such conflicts are the nature of politics,” Chidambaram had said, adding that Elangovan was known for speaking his mind.