Comrade Samuvel Raj, aged 46 years, the CPI (M) candidate for the Virudhunagar Parliamentary constituency is a member of the CPI(M) State Committee. Hailing from a scheduled caste, Samuvel Raj has studied up to class 12. He joined the CPI (M) in 1986 and has been a full time worker of the Party for 28 years now. He has participated in many struggles including for a sub quota for Arundhathiyars and for temple entry. In the struggle condemning the razing down of dalit houses at Gudiyatham, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven days. He is currently the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front. He is married to B. Suganthi, and has two daughters named Cynthia and Subhashini. Suganthi is the General Secretary of the state unit of the All India Democratic Women’s Association.