Brahmins in Tamil Nadu have had very little political representation for a long time. Former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, herself a Brahmin, gave the community some political visibility during her tenure. After Jayalalithaa’s tenure, Brahmins virtually disappeared from Tamil Nadu’s electoral representation, both as candidates and as ministers. The 2021 Assembly election was perhaps the last major instance of a Brahmin candidate being fielded in Tamil Nadu, when the AIADMK nominated retired DGP R. Natraj from the Mylapore constituency. But he lost. In 2024, no major party fielded a Brahmin candidate for the LS polls. In 2026 as well, none of the major political parties fielded Brahmin candidates.
After 2021 elections, Dravidianists rejoiced that TN assembly would now be ‘Brahmin-free’. Social media handles, party mouthpieces, and Dravidianist influencers ridiculed and mocked the Brahmins and hailed the move as if it was a form of justice.
That changed when TVK announced that they were fielding 2 candidates from the community that is in a minority in the state. The candidates were P. Venkataramanan from Mylapore and S. Ramesh from Srirangam and both won.
We had earlier reported about how the Assembly will see the presence of two Brahmin MLAs but now, the duo will also feature in the cabinet. On 10 May 2026, Venkataramanan was sworn-in as a minister and he was given the charge of Food and Civil Supplies.
P. Venkataramanan is the Treasurer of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He has described anti-Brahminism as an “outdated ideology” and positioned TVK as a party of change.
Another TVK MLA is S. Ramesh who won from Srirangam, is also reportedly from a humble background.
On 21 May 2026, Ramesh was sworn-in as a minister too. His portfolio was the HR&CE. To have given it to him is yet another interesting move.
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Vijay, by choosing the 2 Brahmin candidates seems to convey that every Tamil deserves representation, every community deserves dignity, and no identity is a legitimate target for a political party’s hatred. TVK fielded candidates across communities without making their caste their credential or their liability. And the voters responded.
Two Brahmin MLAs walking into the Tamil Nadu Assembly is not a Brahmin victory. Two Brahmin ministers entering the Cabinet is not a Brahmin victory.
It is a victory for the idea that a democracy cannot permanently exclude any of its citizens from representation.
The Dravidianists who once celebrated a ‘Brahmin-free Assembly’ will now have to confront a political reality they long believed impossible: a party that invokes EVR as one of its ideological inspirations has not only sent two Brahmins to the Assembly through democratic mandate but has also inducted them into the Cabinet.
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