# Arcot N. Veeraswami

Arcot N. Veeraswami is a politician and a former minister for electricity in the Tamil Nadu State of India. He became the treasurer of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Party and emerged as number three in the party after Karunanidhi and K Anbazhagan in the early 1980s. He was treated as the right-hand person to Karunanidhi and was also said to be the main peacemaker in the party. He was born in a Kamma family in Kuppadichatham village in North Arcot district in Tamil Nadu on 21 April 1931 to Narayanasamy Naidu and Jeyammal. He finished his education before actively engaging in politics. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly six times. From 1989 to 1991, during the DMK rule, he served as the Minister for Food. Veeraswamy was the Minister for Health & Electricity between 1996 and 2001. Furthermore, between 2006 and 2011, he served as the Minister for Electricity and Rural Industries.

## Politics

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. 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. He has been a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and has been elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly six times. 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. 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. He also served as a Member of the Legislative Council from 1977 to 1988.
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.

## Elections Contested
### Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Elections

| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition candidate | Opposition party | Opposition vote percentage |
| 1967 | Arcot | DMK | Won | 60.13 | A. G. R. Naicker | INC | 37.16 |
| 1971 | Arcot | DMK | Won | 57.79 | N. R. Ethirajalu Naidu | INC | 37.02 |
| 1984 | Arcot | DMK | Lost | 38.96 | T. Palani | AIADMK | 58.96 |
| 1989 | Purasawalkam | DMK | Won | 49.88 | B. Ranganathan | AIADMK(J) | 22.07 |
| 1991 | Purasawalkam | DMK | Lost | 26.99 | B. Ranganathan | INC | 39.68 |
| 1996 | Anna Nagar | DMK | Won | 67.05 | R. Balasubramanian | INC | 22.48 |
| 2001 | Anna Nagar | DMK | Won | 48.20 | C. Arumugam | PMK | 44.73 |
| 2006 | Anna Nagar | DMK | Won | 46.20 | Vijaya Thayanban | MDMK | 40.48 |

### Tamil Nadu Legislative Council Elections Contested

| Year | Election | Party | PC Name | Result |
| 1977 | Tamil Nadu Legislative Council | DMK | Tamil Nadu | Won |
| 1984 | Tamil Nadu Legislative Council | DMK | Tamil Nadu | Won |