‘World class engineer, Silicon architect’: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu backs BJP candidate in Tamil Nadu

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Saturday expressed support for BJP candidate Ananthan Ayyasamy, highlighting his professional background and return to grassroots work in Tamil Nadu.

In a post on X, Vembu wrote, “Ananthan Ayyasamy’s life trajectory, rising from humble rural roots to become a world-class engineer and silicon architect and then leaving all that behind to come back home to serve Tenkasi and our nation, is an inspiration to millions. I am proud of him!”

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The BJP has fielded Ayyasamy from Vasudevanallur in the Tenkasi district. Known locally as ‘Tenkasi Ananthan’, he has been associated with grassroots initiatives, including Startup Tenkasi.

Ayyasamy trained as an engineer at the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli and later completed an MBA from the University of Arizona. He went on to work in the United States with Intel for over two decades, focusing on chip design and rising to the position of Director of Engineering.

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He left the company after 22 years and returned to India in 2022 to work at the grassroots level. In 2023, he joined the BJP and was later named the party’s Tenkasi district president in 2025.

Apart from his technology career, Ayyasamy has been involved in political mobilisation in his home constituency. He had earlier supported his younger brother, A Manoharan, who was elected as an AIADMK MLA from Vasudevanallur in 2016 and later contested again in 2021.

Ayyasamy also has business interests in the United States, including a real estate brokerage that is currently managed by his wife while he remains based in India.

In 2025, Ayyasamy founded Tensemi Technologies – a semiconductor firm – in Tamil Nadu. The chip firm specialises in the manufacture of computer, electronic, and optical products.

His candidacy comes as the BJP seeks to expand its presence in Tamil Nadu, with local leaders highlighting professional and grassroots credentials in key constituencies such as Tenkasi.