Earlier South Tamil Nadu has the unique distinction of sending five of the 12 Chief Ministers to the Assembly in elections held post-Independence. At the time of independence the Madras Presidency had Sir Ponnambala Thiaga Rajan, hailing from Uthamapalayam in the present Theni district, as Chief Minister from April 4, 1936 to August 24, 1936.
P.T. Rajan’s son, P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan who represented Madurai West, was Assembly Speaker in 1991-96 and Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in 2006 and after Independence Poosapatti Sanjeevi Kumarasamy Raja of Rajapalayam was the Chief Minister between April 6, 1949 and April 4, 1952.
The most illustrious of them has been K. Kamaraj, who was born in Virudhupatti (Virudhunagar) of the unified Ramnad district and his tenure was between April 13, 1954 and October 2, 1963, when he resigned as per the ‘Kamaraj Plan’ that required senior leaders to return to party work, is still remembered for the overall development of the State.
M.G. Ramachandran founder of the then Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has contested from Aruppukottai to begin his continuous run as Chief Minister till his death and he did not think of going back to his St. Thomas Mount constituency in Chennai, from where he had won the 1967 and 1971 elections and during1980 he has won from Madurai West and represented the Andipatti constituency from February 10, 1985 till his death on December 24, 1987.
