Arcot N. Veeraswami

Veerasamy worked as a clerk in the state electricity board before being handpicked by DMK's founder, C N Annadurai, as a candidate for the Arcot constituency in 1967; after which he became the treasurer of the DMK Party and emerged as number three in the party after Karunanidhi and K Anbazhagan in the early 80s.^[6][7] Following his rise in popularity, Veerasamy rose in the party's ranks and was unanimously elected as the Treasurer of Dravida Munnetras Kazhagam in 1994 to 2008.^[4][21] He has been a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and has been elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly six times.^[22] He has participated in several agitations against oppression staged by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and has courted arrest several times, the most notable being MISA in 1976 when he was arrested and tortured for one year. He lost his hearing in one ear.^[23] He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Arcot constituency in 1967 and 1971, Purasaiwalkam constituency in 1989, and Annanagar constituency in 1996, 2001, and 2006 in the General elections.^[24] He also served as a Member of the Legislative Council from 1977 to 1988.^[25]

He was sworn in as Minister of the Govt of Tamil Nadu thrice: as Minister for Food in 1989, Minister for Health and Electricity in 1996, and Minister for Electricity and Rural Industries in 2006.^[1][2][20]