| V. R. Nedunchezhiyan | |
| Office: | Acting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu |
| Term Start: | 24 December 1987 |
| Term End: | 7 January 1988 |
| Governor: | Sundar Lal Khurana |
| 1Blankname: | Political Party |
| 1Namedata: | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Predecessor: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Successor: | V. N. Janaki Ramachandran |
| Constituency: | Athoor |
| Term Start1: | 16 November 1984 |
| Term End1: | 9 February 1985 |
| 1Blankname1: | Political Party |
| 1Namedata1: | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Predecessor1: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Term Start2: | 3 February 1969 |
| Term End2: | 10 February 1969 |
| Governor2: | Sardar Ujjal Singh |
| 1Blankname2: | Political Party |
| 1Namedata2: | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Predecessor2: | C. N. Annadurai |
| Successor2: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Constituency2: | Triplicane |
| Office3: | Minister of Finance, Tamil Nadu |
| Term Start3: | 24 June 1991 |
| Term End3: | 12 May 1996 |
| 1Blankname3: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata3: | J. Jayalalithaa |
| Predecessor3: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Successor3: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Term Start4: | 9 June 1980 |
| Term End4: | 24 December 1987 |
| 1Blankname4: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata4: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Predecessor4: | Nanjil K. Manoharan |
| Successor4: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Office5: | Minister of Education, Tamil Nadu |
| Term Start5: | 13 August 1969 |
| Term End5: | 31 January 1976 |
| 1Blankname5: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata5: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Predecessor5: | S. Madhavan |
| Successor5: | C. Aranganayagam |
| Term Start6: | 6 March 1967 |
| Term End6: | 10 February 1969 |
| 1Blankname6: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata6: | C. N. Annadurai himself (acting) |
| Predecessor6: | M. Bhaktavatsalam |
| Successor6: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Office7: | 4th Leader of the Opposition in the Madras Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start7: | 29 March 1962 |
| Term End7: | 28 February 1967 |
| 1Blankname7: | Chief Minister |
| Predecessor7: | V. K. Ramaswami |
| Deputy7: | M. Karunanidhi |
| Successor7: | P. G. Karuthiruman |
| Constituency7: | Triplicane |
| Office8: | Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start8: | 1991 |
| Term End8: | 1996 |
| 1Blankname8: | Leader of the House |
| 1Namedata8: | Himself |
| Predecessor8: | G. Ponnu Pillai |
| Successor8: | N. R. Alagaraja |
| Constituency8: | Theni |
| Term Start9: | 1984 |
| Term End9: | 1989 |
| 1Blankname9: | Leader of the House |
| 1Namedata9: | Himself |
| Predecessor9: | A. Vellaisamy |
| Successor9: | I. Periasamy |
| Constituency9: | Athoor |
| Term Start10: | 1980 |
| Term End10: | 1984 |
| 1Blankname10: | Leader of the House |
| 1Namedata10: | Himself |
| Predecessor10: | G. R. Edmund |
| Successor10: | S. Narayanan |
| Constituency10: | Thirunelveli |
| Term Start11: | 1962 |
| Term End11: | 1977 |
| 1Blankname11: | Leader of the House |
| Predecessor11: | K. S. G. Haja Shareef |
| Successor11: | M. Aranganathan |
| Constituency11: | Triplicane |
| Term Start12: | 23 June 1978 |
| Term End12: | 10 June 1980 |
| Predecessor12: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Successor12: | P. U. Shanmugam |
| Term13: | September 1977 - 23 June 1978 Interim |
| 1Blankname13: | General Secretary. |
| 1Namedata13: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Office14: | 2nd General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Term Start14: | 4 February 1969 |
| Term End14: | 16 May 1977 |
| Predecessor14: | C. N. Annadurai |
| Successor14: | K. Anbazhagan |
| Term Start15: | 24 April 1955 |
| Term End15: | 24 September 1960 |
| Predecessor15: | C. N. Annadurai |
| Successor15: | C. N. Annadurai |
| Office16: | 3rd Presidium Chairperson of AIADMK |
| Term Start16: | 1996 |
| Term End16: | 12 January 2000 |
| 1Blankname16: | General Secretary |
| 1Namedata16: | J.Jayalalithaa |
| Predecessor16: | E. V. A. Vallimuthu |
| Successor16: | K. Kalimuthu |
| Office17: | 2nd Deputy General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Term Start17: | 1989 |
| Term End17: | 1993 |
| 1Blankname17: | General Secretary |
| 1Namedata17: | J.Jayalalithaa |
| 2Blankname17: | Joint |
| 2Namedata17: | R. M. Veerappan |
| Predecessor17: | H. V. Hande |
| Successor17: | Su. Thirunavukkarasar |
| Office18: | Leader of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly House |
| Term Start18: | 6 March 1967 |
| Term End18: | 10 February 1969 |
| Term Start19: | 14 August 1969 |
| Term End19: | 5 January 1971 |
| Term Start20: | 1 June 1980 |
| Term End20: | 15 November 1984 |
| Term Start21: | 16 February 1985 |
| Term End21: | 6 January 1988 |
| Term Start22: | 25 June 1991 |
| Term End22: | 13 May 1996 |
| Birth Date: | 11 July 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Thirukannapuram, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Residence: | Seethamma Colony, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Death Place: | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Death Cause: | Heart failure |
| Party: | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Otherparty: | Dravidar Kazhagam Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse: | Visalakshi (m. 1950; d. 2016) |
| Children: | 1 son |
| Relatives: | Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (grandson) |
| Signature: | Signature of Nedunchezhiyan.jpg |
| Birth Name: | Ra. Go. Narayanasamy |
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (11 July 1920 – 12 January 2000) was an Indian politician and writer. He served thrice as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also senior cabinet minister under the governments of C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. For his literary contributions, he was also known as "Navalar" or the eloquent.[1]
Nedunchezhiyan was born at Thirukannapuram on 11 July 1920. He graduated with a master's degree and a doctorate in Tamil literature from Annamalai University. He became involved in politics while at the university and joined the Dravidar Kazhagam party in 1944. In 1949, he and C. N. Annadurai formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with the latter as leader and Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary until 1955. He was general secretary between 1955 and 1960 and then chairman of the party's general council until 1969.
Nedunchezhiyan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu in 1962, succeeding K. S. G. Haja Shareef, who moved to a different constituency. In 1967, he became the Minister of Education when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took power. He was briefly acting Chief Minister for the state following C. N. Annadurai's death in 1969, taking the role until M. Karunanidhi was appointed. He then continued as a cabinet minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet until the DMK lost power in 1976.
Together with K. Rajaram, Nedunchezhiyan left the DMK to form a new political party called the Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam but this did not last long. The party merged with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was by then in government, in 1978 and from 1980 Nedunchezhiyan was again a cabinet minister, this time as a Minister of Finance under the leadership of AIADMK's M. G. Ramachandran, until 1987. Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He was general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He became acting Chief Minister in 1988 when Ramachandran died.
Nedunchezhiyan briefly aligned himself with the J. Jayalalithaa-led group within the AIADMK but was expelled from the party in 1988 after disputes with its leaders. He stood in the 1989 state elections and later that year returned to the party fold after Jayalalithaa had successfully reunified it. He then served as Minister of Finance again between 1991 and 1996. Later, he served as General Council Leader Of AIADMK From 1996 to his death.
He married his wife, Visalakshi (AIADMK Spokesperson), in 1950, and they had one son.[2]
Indian tennis player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is his grandson.
He died on heart failure at Apollo Hospital on 12 January 2000. At that time, AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa sent a letter to Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, asking for a place to bury Nedunchezhiyan next to Anna. But the then DMK government rejected that demand. After this, Nedunchezhiyan's body was cremated in Besant Nagar cemetery.
The character Madhivanan, played by Rajesh, in the 1997 film Iruvar is loosely based on Nedunchezhiyan.
Name of the book with year of publication.
Biography of #RevolutionaryBharatidasan (1994)
After His- # Thirukkural Novel Text (Portable Edition) (2001)
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition Candidate | Opposition Party | Opposition vote percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 Madras State Legislative Assembly election | Salem - I | Independent | 44.83 | A. Mariappan Mudaliar | INC | 45.21 | |||
| 1962 Madras State Legislative Assembly election | Triplicane | DMK | 51.29 | Sivanesan | INC | 35.31 | |||
| 1967 Madras State Legislative Assembly election | Triplicane | DMK | 59.41 | M. S. Sammandappa | INC | 39.93 | |||
| 1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Triplicane | DMK | 50.40 | K. Vinayakam | INC | 48.95 | |||
| 1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Tirunelveli | AIADMK | 57.96 | Rajathi Kunchithapatham | INC | 40.94 | |||
| 1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Athoor | AIADMK | 63.16 | Rajambal K | DMK | 35.35 | |||
| 1989 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | [Mylapore Assembly constituency|Mylapore]] | Independent | 0.5 | N. Ganapathy | DMK | 40.88 | |||
| 1991 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Theni | AIADMK | 61.5 | L.S.R. Krishnan | DMK | 24.0 | |||
| 1996 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Theni | AIADMK | 22.97 | Alagaraja.N.R | TMC(M) | 62.76 |