Complaining of “favouritism” to entrants from other parties, former DMK MLA from Tiruppur South and secretary of the party Tiruppur Central district unit, K. Selvaraj, on Thursday quit the party and from politics after 50 years.

In the recent Assembly elections, Mr. Selvaraj contested in Palladam constituency but was relegated to third position securing 78,625 votes behind TVK’s K Ramkumar and AIADMK’s K.P. Paramasivam.

Mr. Selvaraj, who had previously served as Chairman of Tiruppur Municipality and Mayor of Tiruppur City Corporation after its upgrade, had won the 2021 Assembly elections.

In his resignation letter addressed to DMK president M.K. Stalin, he claimed “favouritism” (by the high command) had begun in 2022, and that he suffered “mental agony” due to marginalisation, despite being “true to conscience.

Claiming he had declined invitation by other parties to switch sides, Mr. Selvarajsaid he was pained by the party high command choosing N. Dinesh Kumar, also former Mayor (and entrant from another party), as the candidate for Tiruppur South, “at the intervention of an industrial bigwig”.

It would have been acceptable if the constituency had been allotted to another loyalist like himself, Mr. Selvaraj pointed out.

“Though I had not sought candidature in Palladam, the party fielded me there. Yet, I persevered and worked hard in both Tiruppur South and Palladam constituencies.”

Mr. Selvaraj lamented his efforts to reach out to the party high command to convey ground realities in Tiruppur did not fructify due to the machinations of second-rung leaders.

“My stand on the garbage crisis in Tiruppur was projected negatively to the party leadership,” he said.

He said he did not intend to join any other party.