Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | Goondas detention to electoral battle: Farmer-activist takes on DMK minister

This April 23 election, Arul Arumugam will face E V Velu in the high-stakes battle for Tiruvannamalai assembly constituency as the candidate of the TVK.

Chennai: Arul Arumugam, who ventured into farming after quitting his job at a software firm, gained prominence during the vociferous protests against the Salem-Chennai Expressway in 2018. Three years later, Arumugam campaigned for DMK in the 2021 assembly elections after it promised to scrap the expressway which was to cut through thousands of acres of farm and forest lands, and mountains, spread across more than 150 villages.

However, in 2023, Arul and six farmers were arrested by the DMK government under the Goondas Act merely for protesting against its decision to acquire 3,174 acres of fertile land for building an industrial estate in Tiruvannamalai district.

It is alleged that Highways Minister E V Velu, one of the most powerful in the DMK administration, was behind the invoking of the stringent act. While the Goondas act against the farmers was revoked immediately after public outrage, Arul spent 68 days in jail.

This April 23 election, Arul will face Velu in the high-stakes battle for Tiruvannamalai assembly constituency as the candidate of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). Arul believes the work his outfit Uzhavar Urimai Iyakkam has done among farmers and the “groundswell” for TVK in the region could help him challenge the minister.

Velu, a multi-millionaire who owns an array of educational institutions and businesses, is a strongman in Tiruvannamalai district having won from the temple town since 2011 and representing Thandarambattu thrice in the past.

“I stand here to challenge Velu’s decision to detain innocent farmers under Goondas act. It was nothing but an abuse of power and the height of arrogance. We want to show that if farmers come together, we can defeat Velu from his home turf,” Arul told DH.

“Our only crime was opposing the government's acquisition of our own land. Of the 3,174 acres, about 2,800 acres are fertile land where we cultivate for three seasons a year. Velu ordered our detention under the Goondas Act. We are not against any government, but against acquiring fertile land,” he added.

After his release in November 2023 following the revocation of the Goondas Act, Arul was arrested again in December 2025 along with 22 members of his outfit for protesting against illegal sand mining in Malappambadi lake to prepare infrastructure for a meeting of the ruling DMK organised by Velu in his capacity as the district minister.

When asked how he would challenge a powerful minister with significant resources who has won consecutive elections, Arul replied that he was only fulfilling the wishes of people, who yearned for someone to challenge Velu.

“Wherever I go, please wish me luck as I have the courage to take on a powerful politician. They say Velu should be defeated to send a message to politicians that they can’t take the common man for granted,” Arul added.

The activist said his work among the farmers and the TVK’s support base will help challenge Velu in this election. His outfit’s goal is to implement an agricultural economic policy that encourages educated youngsters to take up farming and produce end-consumable products. “We also want to focus on education and healthcare,” Arul added.

Arul, who was working with Infosys in Bengaluru, quit his job in 2017 and took up farming the following year in the Chengam region in the district. He was actively involved in the agitation against the Salem expressway project and was booked by the police several times.