For those used to seeing Ma Foi HR Consulting founder K Pandia Rajan rubbing shoulders with global CEOs and addressing corporate meetings in star hotels, it’s a surprise to catch him sweating it out in the hot sun, seeking votes for the May 16 Assembly election.
Pandia Rajan, 57, is the AIADMK candidate for Avadi. He has been a leading figure in the recruitment industry through Ma Foi, which he started in 1996 and subsequently sold to Dutch firm Randstad.
Even now he is known as ‘Ma Foi’ Pandia Rajan. After obtaining an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, Pandia Rajan worked for a few years abroad before returning home to start Ma Foi. He entered politics in 2003, joining the BJP. “I was influenced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Arun Jaitley and Arun Shourie,” he recalled.
He then moved to Vijayakant’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and was elected an MLA from Virudhunagar in 2011 when the DMDK allied with the AIADMK. Earlier this year, he joined the AIADMK.
“I am a resident of nearby Anna Nagar,” said Pandia Rajan when asked whether the “outsider” tag will affect his chances of winning in Avadi. His main opponent is SM Nasar of the DMK.
“I enjoyed representing Virudhunagar, and helped attract investments of ₹250 crore over five years. But it was a huge stress. I had expressed my interest to contest in Chennai with Ambattur and Avadi being the closest to Anna Nagar,” he said.
Early start His campaign starts at 7 am and the day is packed with a series of roadside meetings and interaction with voters.
Clad in white dhoti and shirt with the AIADMK’s red-white-black shawl around his neck, Pandia Rajan addressed voters from an election van.
Avadi — a west Chennai suburb that hosts the Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India — has about 4 lakh voters and is known for its Defence establishments, including a heavy vehicles factory. “This is the most cosmopolitan constituency in Tamil Nadu,” Pandia Rajan told BusinessLine in an interview in his car.
While there are over 10,000 North Indian voters, the constituency has a mix of communities such as Christians, Muslims, Jains, Bengalis and Punjabis. With two Jain temples, a Gurudwara and Bengali pandals, Avadi celebrates its diversity, said Pandia Rajan, whose election brochure is printed in Hindi and Telugu apart from Tamil.
He will work to integrate Avadi, Thiruninravur and Thiruverkadu, important municipalities of Chennai suburbs, as a corporation, said the AIADMK candidate. This is a major commitment he has made to the voters, he said, adding that he hopes to bring in a modern water and sewerage network to this municipality and a World Bank supported scheme for rejuvenating water bodies.
With temples for many deities, including Vaishno Devi, Avadi can be developed as a major spiritual destination, he pointed out.