MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)Former MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)

Dr. Tharahai Cuthbert
  • Won 2026 by 2,833

Dr. Tharahai Cuthbert

டாக்டர் தராஹை குத்பர்ட்

MLA for Colachal since May 2026MLA for Colachal, 2026–31INC

  • AC 231 · Kanniyakumari district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Age 51 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹4.51 cr
pending criminal cases
0
education
Doctorate
times elected MLA
2

Assets, cases and education as declared in the 2026 sworn affidavit to the Election Commission of India. Age: from the Election Commission's candidate profile.

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Career

Dr. Tharahai Cuthbert: the career, year by year

  1. 2024
  2. 2026

Elected to the Assembly 2 times: Vilavancode, Colachal

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  • Party
  1. Pre-2024

    Long-standing AICC member; General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC); runs a uniform-manufacturing business out of Kanniyakumari district.

  2. Apr 2024

    Wins Vilavancode by-election by 40,174 votes over BJP's Nanthini V. S. — a high-profile by-election that drew national attention.

  3. 4 May 2026

    Won Colachal for the INC (polling was on 23 April).

    See the full 2026 result
  4. May 2026

    Continues as Congress floor presence inside the TVK-led alliance bloc.

Profile

About Dr. Tharahai Cuthbert

Dr. Tharahai Cuthbert won Colachal (AC 231) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the Indian National Congress candidate. She was already an MLA — having won the high-profile Vilavancode by-election in 2024 by 40,174 votes — and in 2026 added Colachal to her record, anchoring Congress's coastal-Kanniyakumari pocket inside the TVK-led alliance.

Party
Indian National Congress
Profession
Politician (MLA 2024-26 Vilavancode, MLA 2026- Colachal); proprietor of Taraz Readymade Garments and Uniform Manufacturing Unit
District
Kanniyakumari

Education

  • 2008MBA, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai
  • 2020Ph.D., Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli

Party & ideology

Her two consecutive wins (2024 by-election + 2026 general) make her one of the small group of Congress MLAs riding into the 17th Assembly, and the only Christian woman MLA from the southern district. Inside Congress she is part of the TNCC executive — the body that delivered Congress's pivot from DMK to TVK on 6 May 2026.

Family

S/o · D/o · W/o J.G. Cuthbert. Spouse: Nil.

Official channels

Tharahai on XTharahai on FacebookPRS India MLA Track

Questions people ask

Who is Tharahai Cuthbert?

Two-term Congress MLA from Kanniyakumari district. Won the Vilavancode by-election in April 2024 (margin 40,174) and Colachal in the 2026 general election. AICC member and TNCC General Secretary. Educated to PhD level.

Why did she switch from Vilavancode to Colachal?

Vilavancode and Colachal are neighbouring constituencies in Kanniyakumari district. The 2026 candidacy decisions were part of the broader Congress reshuffle that culminated in the 6 May 2026 Congress-to-TVK pivot. Vilavancode in 2026 was won by another Congress candidate, Praveen T.T.

What is the 2024 Vilavancode by-election?

A high-profile constituency by-election in April 2024 in Kanniyakumari district. Tharahai Cuthbert won it for Congress by 40,174 votes — a marquee result that anchored her as a rising INC face in southern Tamil Nadu.

What is her professional background?

Beyond politics, she runs Taraz Readymade Garments and Uniform Manufacturing Unit. Her academic record is unusual for an MLA — MBA (2008) plus a PhD (2020) from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.

Other MLAs from Kanniyakumari district

N. Thalavai SundaramKanniyakumari · AIADMKAustinNagercoil · DMKR. ChellaswamyPadmanabhapuram · CPMT. T. PraveenVilavancode · INCS. Rajesh KumarKilliyoor · INC

Page last changed 2 October 2026.

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