He won the 2001 state assembly elections in alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a post from which he resigned in 2004 quoting ideological differences with DMK.
His confrontation with Pattali Makkal Katchi and its leader Ramadoss has resulted in frequent clashes between Dalits and the Vanniyars.
He completed his Ph.D. at Manonmanium Sundaranar University titled "Religious conversion of Meenakshipuram Dalits – a victimological study" and was awarded his doctorate in 2018.
[4] When he was studying at Madras Law College, Thirumavalavan got interested in the Eelam movement, due to Suba Veerapandian (who conducted a guest lecture on the topic).
[11] The phase also culminated the rivalry between Thirumavalavan's party and his competitors in the Chidambaram Constituency, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
[12][13] During the 2004 general elections, he resigned his MLA post on 3 February 2004 quoting humiliation meted out by the alliance partners, especially the DMK.
[14][15] Thirumavalavan contested once again from Chidambaram in 2004 general elections, this time with Janata Dal (United) and polled 257,000 votes and lost by a low margin.
[16] He joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alliance in the 2006 elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
[16] Thirumalavan's politics are grounded in Ambedkarite and Dravidian philosophies as well as a retheorization of Tamil nationalism, which seeks to turn it into a force for annihilation of the caste system.
Caste oppression, he says, can only be ended by building resistance from below, through appealing to Tamil sentiments, as happened in the early days of the Dravidian movement under Periyar E. V.
[31] He was a part of the 10 member MP team that visited the war-affected areas and transitional centres in Vavuniya on 11 October 2009.
[32] Thirumavalvan has also severely criticised Hindu society for, in his views, being built on the basis of caste and obeying the Manusmriti.
[28] In more recent years his politics have mainly revolved around opposing the BJP and RSS in their agenda, including the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
To him the idea of a Hindu Rashtra goes against the Indian constitution and would lead to continuation of caste hierarchies as part of "Sanatana Dharma".
[36] In 2009, Tamil Nadu's chief minister M. Karunanidhi passed a resolution in principle for 3% inner reservation for Arunthathiyar community, which Thirumavalavan supported.
[37] In 2021, he claimed that it is his policy to expose to people, the intentions of the BJP which seeks to gain political advantage by cultivating casteism in Tamil soil, inciting religious hatred and division.
[38] Thirumavalavan played a guest appearance as a Tamil militant leader in Sri Lanka in his first film Anbu Thozhi (2007), directed by L. G.
[7][39][40] Thirumavalavan was cast in the leading role of a film titled Kalaham to play the character of Balasingham, a law college professor, which was being directed by Kalanjiyam.
[52] The VCK, in a plan to start a television channel, asked the party men to donate gold on the occasion of the 50th birthday of Thirumavalavan.
This was subject to wider criticism, drawing parallels with the exotic celebrations organised by Mayawati, the leader of BSP in Uttar Pradesh.
[56] As soon as the video gained steam, BJP members condemned his statements and claimed that Thirumavalavan had insulted women by referring to them as prostitutes.
The Chennai city police registered a case against Thirumavalavan for over his comment on Manusmriti on 23 October 2020, based on a complaint by BJP legal cell state secretary.
Thirumavalavan made derogatory remarks on Sanatan Dharma by calling it a contagious disease and a threat to democracy.
He made the statement on the backdrop of Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks on Sanatan dharma comparing it to "dengue and malaria".