MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)Former MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)
Won 2026 by 14,249
K. V. Vijay Damu
கே. வி. விஜய் தாமு
MLA for Royapuram since May 2026MLA for Royapuram, 2026–31TVK
AC 17 · Chennai district
Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
Term ended 10 May 2031
Age 46 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹28.87 lakh
pending criminal cases
4
education
8th pass
times elected MLA
1
Assets, cases and education as declared in the 2026 sworn affidavit to the Election Commission of India. The cases are pending, not convictions. Age: from the Election Commission's candidate profile.
Drops out after Class 9 at Corporation High School, Adyar — begins driving an autorickshaw in Chennai.
Later
Sets up a small auto consulting business in Velachery while remaining active among autorickshaw workers.
2010s onward
Long-time volunteer with Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, the actor Vijay-led fan organisation that later became the political base for TVK.
2024-2025
Joins Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam as Vijay formalises the party for the 2026 election.
March 2026
Announced as TVK's Royapuram candidate — picked from the rank-and-file rather than from political families, in line with TVK's stated 'common-man' framing.
Campaign 2026
Campaigns on harbour-area infrastructure, fishermen welfare, coastal safety and informal-worker social security — issues that resonate in Royapuram's largely working-class and fishing constituencies.
4 May 2026
Won Royapuram for the TVK (polling was on 23 April).
Sworn in as MLA from Royapuram in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Profile
About K. V. Vijay Damu
AIADMK's D. Jayakumar, a five-time Royapuram MLA and former state finance minister, finished third with 18,420 votes — making this one of TVK's most-cited 'common-man' victories. Damu, an autorickshaw driver and long-time worker in actor Vijay's fan-organisation Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, was a Class-9 dropout who runs a small auto-consulting business. His ECI affidavit shows around Rs 28.9 lakh in assets and four pending criminal cases.
Party
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Born
1980 in Velachery, Chennai
Profession
Auto consulting business owner; previously autorickshaw driver. TVK organiser, Royapuram
SchoolingStudied up to Class 9 at Corporation High School, Adyar, Chennai — dropped out in 1993.
Party & ideology
Damu sits at the most literal end of TVK's 'common-man politics' framing — an autorickshaw driver and rank-and-file fan-club organiser fielded in a working-class Chennai seat against AIADMK's D. Jayakumar, a five-time former MLA for Royapuram, and winning. His campaign messaging stayed local: harbour infrastructure, fishermen welfare, coastal safety, social security for informal workers. Within TVK he is widely cited (alongside Sabarinathan from Virugampakkam) as proof of Vijay's pitch that political insiders are not the only path into the Assembly.
Family
Son of Kanniyappan; from Velachery, Chennai. Family details otherwise kept private per ECI affidavit.
Questions people ask
Who is K. V. Vijay Damu?
K. V. Vijay Damu (b. 1980, Velachery, Chennai) was elected in 2026 as the TVK MLA from Royapuram. A Class-9 dropout, he was an autorickshaw driver and long-time worker with Vijay Makkal Iyakkam — actor Vijay's fan organisation that later turned into TVK's grassroots base.
What is his profession?
He runs a small auto-consulting business in Chennai. Earlier he drove an autorickshaw himself. ECI affidavit shows around Rs 28.9 lakh in assets and four pending criminal cases.
What was his connection to Vijay before TVK?
He was a long-time volunteer with Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, actor Vijay's fan organisation, which functioned as the political base that became TVK. He moved into formal party work as TVK was set up for the 2026 election cycle.
