TN 2026  ›  All MLAs  ›  Govi CHEZHIAAN.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam · MLA Thiruvidaimarudur · AC 170

Govi CHEZHIAAN.

Govi. Chezhiaan retained Thiruvidaimarudur (AC 170) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the DMK candidate, polling 79,951 votes and winning by a margin of 14,116 over TVK's S. Prabakaran. This is his fourth consecutive Assembly term from Thiruvidaimarudur (2011, 2016, 2021, 2026). He served as Tamil Nadu's Minister for Higher Education, including Technical Education, Electronics, Science and Technology from September 2024 until the term ended on 5 May 2026 — and was the first Dalit member to hold the Higher Education portfolio in Tamil Nadu since the department was bifurcated. He was Chief Government Whip in the Assembly from May 2021 until his ministerial elevation.

GC
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Govi CHEZHIAAN.

DMKMLA · Thiruvidaimarudur
Born
Born in Rajanganallur, near Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district
Constituency
Thiruvidaimarudur · AC 170
District
Thanjavur
Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Profession
Politician, lawyer and orator; doctorate-holder; Pro-Chancellor of Annamalai University ex-officio while serving as Higher Education Minister
2026 result
won by 14,116 votes
Education
Ph.D. From University Of Chennai, Year 2011 & M.Phil From Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Year 2007

At a glance

2026 votes
79,951
in the assembly election
Margin
14,116
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Thiruvidaimarudur
AC 170 · Thanjavur
Party
DMK
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Field size
15
candidates contested
Age
59 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹1.38 cr
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
2 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationDoctorate

ECI affidavit (2026)

2 pending criminal cases declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹1.38 cr.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹1.38 cr
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Thiruvidaimarudur

Govi CHEZHIAAN. polled 79,951 votes, defeating S PRABAKARAN. (TVK) by a margin of 14,116.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1Govi CHEZHIAAN.DMK79,951
2S PRABAKARAN.TVK65,835
3Elamathi SubramanianAIADMK52,922
4M DIVYA. BharathiNTK6,363
5T M. PURATCHI. ManiIND1,043

→ Full Thiruvidaimarudur (AC 170) seat page · district: Thanjavur

Family

From Rajanganallur, a small village near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district. Wider family details kept private. Speaks frequently of growing up in a politically active family in the Cauvery delta.

Party & ideology

Chezhiaan combines the lawyer-academician tradition of the DMK's intellectual leadership with the social-justice politics of the party's Scheduled-Caste base. His doctorate on the oratory of M. Karunanidhi marked him out early as a Karunanidhi-school speaker, and inside the DMK he is among the most cited contemporary orators. As Chief Government Whip he ran the floor of the Assembly through some of the term's heaviest legislation; as Higher Education Minister he was the most prominent Dalit voice in the state cabinet on university autonomy and the NEET-exemption push.

Official channels

X (Twitter)

FAQ

How many times has Govi. Chezhiaan won?

Four — Thiruvidaimarudur in 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026, all on the DMK ticket. The seat is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and is part of the Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha constituency.

Why is his Higher Education appointment historic?

Tamil Nadu split its Education department in 1989 into separate School Education and Higher Education portfolios. Govi. Chezhiaan, sworn in as Higher Education Minister in September 2024, was the first member from the Scheduled Caste community to hold the Higher Education portfolio since that bifurcation. The same reshuffle took the Stalin cabinet's SC-minister count to four — a state record.

What was his role before becoming Minister?

He was the Chief Government Whip in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from May 2021 until his ministerial elevation in September 2024 — a senior floor-management post that handles the ruling alliance's voting and discipline in the House.

What is the Pro-Chancellor role?

The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister is ex-officio Pro-Chancellor of Annamalai University. As Pro-Chancellor he chairs key statutory bodies of the university alongside the Chancellor (the Governor of Tamil Nadu).

Sources