• Source:JND
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EVKS Elangovan, former Tamil Nadu Congress President and grandnephew of Periyar, passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday. The Tamil Nadu Congress, in a statement, informed that the 75-year-old leader was hospitalised for over a month due to a lung-related issue. He was admitted to the hospital on November 11 and was undergoing intensive treatment for more than two weeks. 

The hospital stated that the Congress leader could not survive despite their best efforts. “He passed away today despite the best efforts of the medical staff,” the hospital said. Reacting to Elangovan's death, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that he was a courageous leader and his death was a loss for the party. 

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"Deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Minister, former PCC President of @INCTamilNadu, and Erode MLA, Thiru EVKS Elangovan. A candid and courageous leader, he was a consensus builder. He devoted his entire life to upholding the progressive ideals and principles of the Congress Party and Thanthai Periyar, serving the people of Tamil Nadu with steadfast dedication and commitment. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and followers," Kharge wrote in a post on X. 

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai said that his passing is a huge loss for the grand old party. “He was an outspoken person, and his death is an irreparable loss to his family and the Congress party, and to me personally,” Selvaperunthagai said.

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Elangovan belonged to a prominent political family of the state and supported the ongoing Dravidian movement. He was the son of EVK Sampath, one of the founding members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who later joined the Congress in 1961. Elangovan was also a grandnephew of EV Ramasamy, or Periyar.

Elangovan held the post of TNCC president from 2000 to 2002 and from 2014 to 2016 in the tough times when the grand old party was increasingly getting marginalised in the state. He also became Union Minister of State in 2004, holding the subjects of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Commerce and Industry.