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Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam · MLA Velachery · AC 26

Kumar . R

R. Kumar won Velachery (AC 26) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the TVK candidate, polling 80,430 votes and defeating AIADMK's M. K. Ashok by a margin of 33,305 in a 28-candidate field. A 60-year-old civil engineer and Chennai businessman, Kumar holds a B.E. (Civil) from the University of Madras (1989) and completed IIM-Bangalore's Business Leadership Programme in 2024. The seat — a fast-growing south-Chennai IT-and-residential belt — was DMK in 2021; the TVK Chennai sweep handed it to Kumar in his debut.

Kumar . R
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam

Kumar . R

TVKMLA · Velachery
Born
Around 1965 (60 yrs as per 2026 ECI affidavit); son of Ram Tula; voter enrolment in Velachery, Chennai
Constituency
Velachery · AC 26
District
Chennai
Party
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Profession
Civil engineer turned businessman and landlord; first-time MLA, Velachery (TVK)
2026 result
won by 33,305 votes
Education
Business Leadership Programme from IIM Bangalore in 2024, Bachelor of Engineering in CIvil, University of Madras in 1989.

At a glance

2026 votes
80,430
in the assembly election
Margin
33,305
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Velachery
AC 26 · Chennai
Party
TVK
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Field size
28
candidates contested
Age
60 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹117.84 cr
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
0 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationGraduate Professional

ECI affidavit (2026)

0 pending criminal cases declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹117.84 cr.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹117.84 cr
Liabilities₹1.62 cr
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Velachery

Kumar . R polled 80,430 votes, defeating Ashok . M. K. (AIADMK) by a margin of 33,305.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1Kumar . RTVK80,430
2Ashok . M. K.AIADMK47,125
3Aassan Maulaana J. M. H.CONG45,928
4Keerthana . MNTK7,697
5NotaNOTA1,336

→ Full Velachery (AC 26) seat page · district: Chennai

Family

Married. Spouse listed as also active in business and real estate per the 2026 ECI affidavit; specific names kept private. Father's name Ram Tula. Family residence in Adyar.

Party & ideology

Kumar is one of TVK's older first-generation entrepreneurs — civil-engineering training, property and rental income, IIM-Bangalore upskilling — drafted to anchor a south-Chennai seat that has shifted heavily towards IT-corridor white-collar voters. His Velachery pitch leans on civic and infrastructure delivery for the IT-belt residential pockets, flooding and storm-water drainage (a chronic complaint after the 2015 and 2021 floods), and the TVK manifesto's clean-governance plank.

FAQ

Who is R. Kumar?

R. Kumar (60) is the new TVK MLA for Velachery (AC 26) in south Chennai. A civil engineer (B.E. University of Madras, 1989) and businessman, he completed IIM-Bangalore's Business Leadership Programme in 2024. He won his debut Assembly election with 80,430 votes — defeating AIADMK's M. K. Ashok by 33,305 in a 28-candidate field.

What does his 2026 affidavit show?

Total assets of around Rs 117 crore — among the wealthier first-time MLAs in the Chennai TVK bloc. The bulk is immovable, with a residential property in Adyar valued at Rs 60 crore and several other holdings. Liabilities around Rs 1.61 crore (a bank loan plus personal loans). No criminal cases.

How did Velachery vote?

It was a four-cornered contest. Final: R. Kumar (TVK) 80,430, M. K. Ashok (AIADMK) 47,125, J.M.H. Aassan Maulaana (Congress) 45,928, M. Keerthana (NTK) 7,697 — with 28 candidates in total. Kumar's 33,305 margin reflected a clean TVK Chennai sweep.

Sources