TN 2026  ›  All MLAs  ›  Kamaraj . S
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam · MLA Mannargudi · AC 167

Kamaraj . S

S. Kamaraj won Mannargudi (AC 167) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the AMMK candidate, polling 68,416 votes against 66,850 for sitting DMK Industries Minister T. R. B. Rajaa and 44,266 for TVK's U. Rajarajan — a margin of 1,566. He is the only AMMK candidate elected in the 2026 cycle, making him the sole AMMK MLA in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He had earlier contested Mannargudi for AIADMK in 2016 and AMMK in 2021, losing both times. Days after the 2026 result, his support became the centre of a government-formation dispute between AMMK chief T. T. V. Dhinakaran and Vijay's TVK — the subject of a Guindy police complaint and a postponed swearing-in.

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Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam

Kamaraj . S

AMMKMLA · Mannargudi
Born
1966 or 1967 (59 yrs); enrolled voter in Mannargudi (AC 167), Thiruvarur; son of R. Soundarajan
Constituency
Mannargudi · AC 167
District
Thiruvarur
Party
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam
Profession
Educator (M.Com., B.Ed.); engaged in industry and agriculture; politician — has contested Mannargudi for AIADMK in 2016 and AMMK in 2021 and 2026
2026 result
won by 1,566 votes
Education
M.Com.,B.Ed., M.Com.,Thiruvika Government College, Thiruvarur, Bharathidasan University (1989) B.Ed Annamalai University (1990

At a glance

2026 votes
68,416
in the assembly election
Margin
1,566
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Mannargudi
AC 167 · Thiruvarur
Party
AMMK
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam
Field size
16
candidates contested
Age
59 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹21.39 cr
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
1 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationPost Graduate

ECI affidavit (2026)

1 pending criminal case declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹21.39 cr.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹21.39 cr
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Mannargudi

Kamaraj . S polled 68,416 votes, defeating Rajaa T. R. B. (DMK) by a margin of 1,566.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1Kamaraj . SAMMK68,416
2Rajaa T. R. B.DMK66,850
3Rajarajan U.TVK44,266
4Bharathiselvan R.NTK8,240
5Rasupillai S.IND1,949

→ Full Mannargudi (AC 167) seat page · district: Thiruvarur

Family

Son of R. Soundarajan. Spouse runs agriculture and industry interests per ECI affidavit; spouse name not separately disclosed in the affidavit summary. Family otherwise private.

Party & ideology

Kamaraj's politics has been rooted in the AIADMK Dravidian tradition before moving with the Sasikala-Dhinakaran faction to AMMK after 2017. His Mannargudi base sits at the intersection of education-business interests and the Sasikala family's home turf, making the AMMK alignment a natural fit. As the lone AMMK MLA in the 17th Assembly, his position became unusually consequential in the May 2026 government-formation arithmetic — but the public dispute between AMMK leadership and TVK over a support letter has left his role inside the AMMK structure, and any future floor-test posture, an active question that AMMK's general secretary Dhinakaran has said he alone will speak for.

Notable statements

These are the visuals of AMMK MLA Kamaraj voluntarily and happily writing a letter expressing his support for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He had stated that he was extending support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam with the approval of AMMK General Secretary T. T. V. Dhinakaran.— TVK official statement, 9 May 2026, accompanying a video of S. Kamaraj signing a letter (per Deccan Herald, Republic World)
If the letter is true, why was only a copy of it submitted to the Governor? Where is the original letter then? This could very well be an AI-generated video.— T. T. V. Dhinakaran, AMMK General Secretary, 9 May 2026 press statement and Guindy police complaint (per The Week, Business Standard)

FAQ

Who is S. Kamaraj?

S. Kamaraj (59) is the AMMK MLA-elect from Mannargudi (AC 167), Thiruvarur. He holds an M.Com. from Bharathidasan University (1989) and a B.Ed. from Annamalai University (1990), and runs education, industry and agriculture interests. He is the only AMMK candidate to win in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

Who did he defeat in 2026?

He defeated the DMK's sitting Industries Minister T. R. B. Rajaa (66,850 votes) by 1,566 votes, with TVK's U. Rajarajan third at 44,266 votes.

What is the 'forged support letter' controversy?

On 8–9 May 2026, TVK submitted a copy of a letter to Governor R. V. Arlekar claiming Kamaraj's support for Vijay's government-formation bid. AMMK General Secretary T. T. V. Dhinakaran filed a police complaint at Guindy alleging the letter was forged and that an accompanying video was AI-generated. TVK denied the charge and released its own video purportedly showing Kamaraj signing voluntarily. The Tamil Nadu DGP began a preliminary inquiry; the Saturday swearing-in was postponed and Vijay was sworn in on 10 May without AMMK being counted in the 120-MLA tally. The matter is at the police-inquiry stage and no FIR or court ruling on the letter's authenticity had been issued at the time of the swearing-in.

Has he contested Mannargudi before?

Yes — in 2016 on the AIADMK ticket, when he lost to DMK's T. R. B. Rajaa by 9,937 votes; and in 2021 on the AMMK ticket, when he finished third. The 2026 win is his first.

What are his declared assets?

Total assets of approximately ₹21.39 crore per his 2026 ECI affidavit, with around ₹24.49 crore in liabilities (largely bank and financial-institution loans). One pending criminal case under IPC Sections 109 (abetment) and 436 (mischief by fire/explosive substance). No convictions.

Sources