SALEM: Two decades after dreaded forest brigand Veerappan was killed in a police encounter in Tamil Nadu, his daughter and widow are attempting to rewrite his story - from that of a feared outlaw to a defender of Tamil rights - through electoral politics.Veerappan's elder daughter Vidhyarani, 35, an advocate, is contesting from Mettur constituency as a candidate of Naam Tamilar Katchi, while his widow Muthulakshmi is in the fray from Krishnagiri on behalf of Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Katchi. Both the parties back 'Tamil nationalism'."If my father were alive today, he would have entered the democratic process, too," says Vidhyarani, who is testing electoral waters for the second time.

She had earlier contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Krishnagiri as an NTK candidate, polling over one lakh votes.For Muthulakshmi too, this marks a return to politics after her debut as an independent candidate in the 2006 assembly elections.Both the women have embraced Veerappan's controversial legacy instead of shying away from it, and seek to repaint him. "He was not the dreaded criminal he was made out to be.

He stood against exploitation and injustice," Vidhyarani said at a rally in Mettur, drawing loud cheers, particularly from young supporters. Her campaign echoes NTK's core plank of Tamil nationalism.NTK chief Seeman was vocal in his support for Veerappan. "If Prabhakaran (LTTE chief) was the guardian of our race, Veerappan was the guardian of our forests," he said while canvassing for her.Vidhyarani's political journey began with Pattali Makkal Katchi, which draws its support from Vanniyars, a numerically strong community spread across more than a dozen districts in Tamil Nadu.

She joined BJP in 2020, before switching to NTK in 2024.In Krishnagiri, Muthulakshmi focusses on agrarian distress in her campaigns. "I have lived among farmers. My fight is for water, crops and dignity," she told TOI.Both maintain that they face no hostility due to their past. "On the contrary, people respect us," Vidhyarani said.Observers believe their entry could dent PMK - an AIADMK ally - particularly in the Vanniyar-dominated Mettur and Krishnagiri belts. While neither candidate foregrounds caste, they are expected to attract a share of the community votes, which are otherwise expected to go for PMK.