Tirupur: Former DMK MLA K Selvaraj has resigned from the party and announced his retirement from active politics.Speaking to the media here on Thursday, Selvaraj, who had served as Tirupur Central DMK district secretary and Tirupur South MLA, said he was stepping down because of mental stress and disappointment over the party leadership giving more importance to party defectors and local industrialists instead of loyal, long-serving members.Selvaraj said he began his political journey through the trade union movement in Tirupur in 1976 and gradually rose through the ranks. He said he had served as the city party secretary, mayor, district secretary and MLA.He said ahead of the 2026 election, leaders who had joined from other parties were given more importance, which caused him severe distress. He also said while several political parties had invited him to join them, he had decided not to switch loyalty to any other party.Selvaraj said under pressure from industrialist ‘Dollar’ Balu, Dinesh Kumar, who had switched to DMK from another party, was allotted to the Tirupur South constituency. Selvaraj said he was asked to contest from Palladam, a constituency for which he had not even applied. “Despite this, I obeyed the party leadership and carried out his election responsibilities.”Expressing anguish over the developments, Selvaraj said it was painful that the importance accorded to an industrialist and a defector was denied to someone who had worked for the party’s growth for decades. He announced that he was resigning from all party posts as well as his primary membership in the DMK. He also reiterated that he would not join any other political party.
