Mavilai Ramasamy Gandhi is an Indian politician and a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Nagercoil. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party.[2] He is the former vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party, Tamil Nadu.
M.R. Gandhi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | N. Suresh Rajan |
| Constituency | Nagercoil |
| Vice President, Bharatiya Janata Party-Tamil Nadu | |
| In office 2016 - 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mavilai Ramasamy Gandhi 25 July1945 (age 78–79)[1] Kanyakumari district |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Other political affiliations | Jana Sangh |
Early life and education
Gandhi was born into an agricultural family in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. He obtained his Bachelor's degree from Scott Christian College at Madurai Kamaraj University in 1967.[3] Gandhi remains unmarried.[4]
Political career
He played a pivotal role in establishing the Hindu nationalist organisation, Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Kanyakumari.[4] He was one of the leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Kanyakumari district.[5]
In 1967, he was the Kanyakumari district president of Jana Sangh and in 1975 he was the Tamil Nadu state secretary of the party. He was also jailed during The Emergency.[4] He served as Tamil Nadu state BJP vice-president from 2016 and 2020.
He was assaulted by a gang with sickles when he was going for a walk on 21 April 2013 and suffered multiple injuries in this attempt to murder him.[6][7]
He unsuccessfully contested from Colachel in 1984 and Nagercoil in 2006. Gandhi contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and won against DMK's former Minister N. Suresh Rajan by a margin of 11,669 votes.[8]
Electoral performance
Assembly Elections
| Election | Party | Constituency | Result | Votes gained | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Janata Party | Nagercoil | Lost | 693 | 0.96% |
| 1984 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Colachel | Lost | 32,996 | 38.64% |
| 2006 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Colachel | Lost | 29,321 | 36.75% |
| 2011 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Kanyakumari | Lost | 20,094 | 11.15% |
| 2016 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Nagercoil | Lost | 46,413 | 26.78% |
| 2021 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Nagercoil | Won | 88,804 | 48.21% |
Lok Sabha Elections
| Year | Election | Party | Constituency | Result | Votes gained | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 9th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | Nagercoil | Lost | 39,164 | 7.12% |