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

D. Gowtham
  • Won 2026 by 7,034

D. Gowtham

டி. கௌதம்

MLA for Vanur since May 2026MLA for Vanur, 2026–31DMK

  • AC 73 · Viluppuram district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Age 32 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹5.10 cr
pending criminal cases
0
education
Professional degree
times elected MLA
1

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.

How did my village vote?Vanur seat page

Find your own MLA

Or browse all 234 MLAs

Explore next

Career

D. Gowtham: the career, year by year

First elected to the Assembly in 2026

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  1. Pre-politics

    Built a profile as a graduate professional with an early DMK organisational footprint in the Vanur–Villupuram belt; his pre-political career is detailed in the 2026 ECI affidavit (see sources).

  2. Pre-2026

    Active in the DMK organisation in Villupuram district; nominated as the party's Vanur candidate for the 2026 Assembly cycle from the party's pool of younger cadre.

  3. 4 May 2026

    Won Vanur for the DMK (polling was on 23 April).

    See the full 2026 result
  4. 11 May 2026

    Took oath as MLA in the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly under Pro-tem Speaker M. V. Karuppaiah — among 59 DMK MLAs to take oath in the new opposition bench led by LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Profile

About D. Gowtham

AIADMK's P. Murugan finished third with 54,193 votes. Gowtham is a first-time MLA at 32, the youngest among the new DMK winners from Villupuram district and one of the few first-time DMK winners from an SC-reserved Villupuram seat in 2026.

Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Born
Vanur belt, Villupuram district
Profession
Graduate professional; first-time MLA of 2026 from Vanur (DMK)
District
Viluppuram

Education

  • GraduationGraduate Professional — per the 2026 ECI affidavit and DMK candidate filings.

Party & ideology

Gowtham's profile fits the DMK's 2026 strategy of fielding younger first-time candidates from cadre backgrounds in Scheduled-Caste reserved constituencies. The AIADMK had won Vanur in 2011, 2016 and 2021 — M. Chakkarapani took it with a 21,727-vote margin in 2021. Gowtham's win, taking the seat from the AIADMK against the TVK challenge, was one of the DMK's notable gains in Villupuram district. Inside the 17th Assembly he is part of the youngest first-time-MLA cohort of the DMK bench — sitting alongside the party's 59 MLAs as Udhayanidhi Stalin's 'dynamic opposition' takes shape.

Family

Family details kept private per the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total assets declared at approximately ₹5.10 crore.

Questions people ask

Who is D. Gowtham?

D. Gowtham was first elected in 2026 as the DMK MLA from Vanur (AC 73), a Scheduled-Caste reserved constituency in Villupuram district. He is 32 years old, a graduate professional per the ECI affidavit, and won Vanur in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

How did he win Vanur in 2026?

Gowtham (DMK) polled 68,873 votes; TVK's P. Suresh came second with 61,839 (margin 7,034); AIADMK's P. Murugan was third with 54,193; NTK's B. Karikalan fourth with 4,697. The seat had been won by AIADMK's M. Chakkarapani in 2021 (margin 21,727), so Gowtham's win took Vanur from the AIADMK for the DMK.

What does the affidavit say?

Per his 2026 ECI filing, Gowtham declared total assets of approximately ₹5.10 crore. Specific liability and criminal-case details are listed on the ECI candidate affidavit (see sources for the candidate page).

How does Vanur fit the DMK's 2026 picture?

Vanur is one of the SC-reserved seats in Villupuram district where DMK invested in younger first-generation cadre. Gowtham at 32 represents the party's bench-refresh — a debutant taking a high-stakes three-way reserved seat against both TVK and AIADMK and coming through with a working margin. He is among the 59 DMK MLAs that make up Udhayanidhi Stalin's opposition bench in the 17th Assembly.

When did he take oath?

11 May 2026 — the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, administered by Pro-tem Speaker M. V. Karuppaiah.

Other MLAs from Viluppuram district

A. GaneshkumarGingee · PMKC. Ve. ShanmugamMailam · AIADMKVanni ArasuTindivanam · VCKR. LakshmananViluppuram · DMKC. SivakumarVikravandi · PMKS. PalanisamyTirukkoyilur · AIADMK

Page last changed 2 October 2026.

Report an errorweb@tnexplorer.com