Tamil Nadu polls: K Marimuthu, the CPI nominee who lives in a hut

In a political battle that has quite a few crorepatis in the 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 the 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.

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Marimuthu's wife owns 75 cents of land while he has Rs 3,000 cash in hand, besides Rs 58,156 in the 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 an 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 an 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.

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"If I win, I will safeguard the farmlands and ensure employment in the constituency," Marimuthu, who had been at the forefront of agitations against the 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.