Career
He is the first All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate to become the Mayor of Chennai. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1984 from the Saidapet constituency. He stayed away from politics after the demise of M. G. Ramachandran.
Jayalalithaa has sprung a surprise ahead of the April 13 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.
She has fielded an AIADMK veteran who has earned a name for himself by running a successful free coaching centre for Institute for Advanced Study aspirants to take on the DMK"s heir apparent M.K. Stalin. Her choice of Saidai South. Duraisamy for the newly carved Kolathur assembly seat clearly shows that she wants to give the DMK heavyweight a run for his money.
A former AIADMK legislator of the Magister era, the dhoti-clad Duraisamy, 59, has proved to be a politician with a difference. But then, for a long time, the amiable Duraisamy kept a low profile and engaged himself in charitable work.
To his cr, he never sought greener pastures and, now, patience and perseverance seem to have worked in his favour.
In the revised list, however, his name was the cynosure of all eyes and he is already on the campaign trail. But, for this politico, the Master in Surgery"s seat was never a dream. Becoming an Institute for Advanced Study officer was.
When he could not make it, he started helping aspirants, mostly from the poor sections, through his free coaching centre that he launched in 2006.
He contested the assembly elections as a candidate for the AIADMK in the Kolathur constituency, which he lost. He contested the mayoral election of Chennai corporation, and became the first AIADMK mayor of the city on 21 October 2011.
He took the oath of office on 25 October 2011.
