DMK MLA From Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Constituency In Chennai, J Anbazhagan, Dies Of Covid-19

DMK MLA from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency in Chennai, J Anbazhagan, has died of Covid-19.

The 61-year old Anbazhagan was admitted to Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre in Chennai on 2 June with an acute respiratory disease, and his Covid-19 PCR test was positive on admission.

Within a day of his admission in the hospital, Anbhazagan’s health condition took a turn for worst and he had been getting 90 per cent oxygen on ventilator. His heatlh improved steadily over the past two days to 40 per cent and he was being weaned off gradually from the ventilator. However, his situation turned critical on Monday (8 June) evening.

Since Monday evening, there was a significant deterioration of his condition. "His oxygen requirement has gone up once again, and his cardiac function also is deteriorating requiring medicine support for blood pressure. His existing chronic kidney disease is also worsening. His condition is described as critical,” hospital’s chief executive officer Dr Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy said in a statement.

Anbazhagan was serving as the DMK’s secretary for the party’s Chennai West region. He was popularly known as ‘Pazhakadai Anbazhagan’, named after the famous juice junction at the entrance of Chennai’s shopping hub Ranganathan Street.

Anbazhagan’s father 'Pazhakadai' Jayaraman was a close aide of former DMK chief and late CM M.Karunanidhi. He was jailed during the 1975 Emergency.

Anbazhagan also ventured in to Kollywood and produced a movie Aadhi Baghavan in 2013. He was also a distributor for another movie, Yaaruda Mahesh, distributed under his Anbu Pictures banner.

Despite seen as a controversial figure, Anbazhagan was perceived as a popular MLA with good connect with his constituents. He was first elected to the Assembly from the T.Nagar constituency in 2001 despite ruling DMK losing power in the state. He faced defeat in 2006. In 2011, he won from the newly created Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seat and retained it with good margin in the 2016 elections.

In 2011, he was arrested on land grabbing charges after the AIADMK returned to power.

With the death of J Anbazhagan, there are three vacancies in the assembly. All these are due to the deaths of DMK MLAs. The two others are K P P Samy (Tiruvottiyur) and S Kathavarayan (Gudiyatham).