Denied ticket, MDMK MP from Erode Ganeshamurthi dies after suspected suicide attempt

Avinashi Ganeshamurthi, the Member of Parliament representing Erode for the MDMK party, passed away early on Thursday due to cardiac arrest, following an alleged suicide attempt. He was admitted to hospital on Sunday. The 76-year-old leader was first to an Erode hospital and later was shifted to a private hospital in Coimbatore where he was placed on ECHO support during his treatment.

The circumstances leading Ganeshamurthi's death stemmed from his reported distress over being denied a ticket to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. On Sunday, he allegedly consumed poison, prompting immediate medical attention, TOI had reported

Reports citing his relatives said Ganeshamurthi had ingested insecticide, leading to his hospitalization. Reports citing sources within the MDMK party suggested that Ganeshamurthi's suspected suicide attempt may have been triggered by the disappointment of not receiving a ticket for the elections.


A top MDMK leader had visited Ganeshamurthi at the Coimbatore hospital and expressed regret over the situation, indicating plans to include him in future electoral endeavors.

Ganeshamurthi, a three-time MP, was reportedly upset over not receiving a party ticket to contest from Erode in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The MDMK is part of the DMK alliance. Instead, DMK decided to field its candidate in Erode and allocated the Tiruchy seat to the MDMK, with Durai Vaiko, son of MDMK general secretary Vaiko, being nominated as the party's candidate in Tiruchy.

On Monday, DMK candidate K.E. Prakash submitted his nomination papers for the Erode parliamentary constituency while the AIADMK put forward Aatral Ashok Kumar for the same constituency.

The MDMK, part of the DMK alliance, is poised to re-enter the Trichy parliamentary constituency after a twenty-year absence. The decision by the DMK to concede this segment to the MDMK was widely anticipated in political circles.