Vidhya Rani is as a tribal and Dalit rights advocate (File)
Vidhya Rani, the daughter of notorious sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, is vying for a seat in parliament this election, which will be held in seven phases.
She will contest from Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri Lok Sabha constituency on a Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) ticket after recently severing ties with the BJP.
A lawyer, Ms Rani is a tribal and Dalit rights advocate. She has roots in places like Anchetti, Thalli, and Denkanikottai, where her father fought for the rights of people living in forests and hilly areas. She says she aims to continue speaking for the communities that lack basic facilities.
"Anchetti, Thalli, and Denkanikottai are places where my father not just lived but fought for the rights of the people living in hilly areas. People in the hilly areas still lack basic facilities and I will lend my voice to them," she told Deccan Herald.
Veerappan was infamous for poaching elephants, smuggling sandalwood, kidnapping high-profile people, including Kannada thespian Raj Kumar and former minister Nagappa, and killing cops.
He ruled over a territory that stretched from the Sathyamangalam forest in Erode district to Karnataka's Mysore district.
Veerappan was shot and killed by Tamil Nadu's Special Task Force on October 18, 2004, in an encounter in the forest.
"Her father protected the forests and now she will protect the (Tamil) race," Senthamizhan Seeman, the chief of NTK announced at a public rally in Chennai, local media reported.
Ms Rani, who lived with her maternal grandparents, met her father only once when she was in Class 3. "That was the first and last time I met him. We spoke for 30 minutes, and the conversation is still fresh in my mind. He held me and asked me to pursue medicine and serve the people," she said.
Vidhya Rani, who joined the BJP in 2020, said she moved to the NTK after being influenced by 'Koose Munisamy Veerappan' - a television series about her father. Her admiration for Mr Seeman grew after watching his perspective on her father in the documentary.
"Seeman uncle could distinguish between the right and the wrong of my father. I see a lot of similarities between my father and him. That gives strength to me. I was raised by society, not by my family. I believe contesting elections is one way of giving back to society," she said.