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

R. Kumar
  • Won 2026 by 33,305
  • Minister

R. Kumar

ஆர். குமார்

MLA for Velachery since May 2026MLA for Velachery, 2026–31TVK

Minister for Artificial Intelligence · Information Technology · Digital Services, from 21 May 2026

  • AC 26 · Chennai district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Age 60 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹117.84 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?Velachery seat page

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Career

R. Kumar: the career, year by year

First elected to the Assembly in 2026

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  • Party
  1. 1989

    B.E. (Civil), University of Madras — begins career as a civil engineer.

  2. Long career

    Builds out a real-estate and rental business, with major holdings in Adyar and other south-Chennai pockets.

  3. 2024

    Completes the Business Leadership Programme at IIM Bangalore.

  4. 2024–2025

    Joins TVK as the party builds out its Chennai cadre.

  5. Mar 2026

    Announced by Vijay as TVK candidate for Velachery (AC 26) in the party's full 234-seat list.

  6. 4 May 2026

    Won Velachery for the TVK (polling was on 23 April).

    See the full 2026 result
  7. 21 May 2026

    Sworn in as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services in CM Vijay's ministry.

  8. 11 May 2026

    Took oath as MLA in the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Profile

About R. Kumar

A 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 won by the Congress's J.M.H. Aassan Maulaana in 2021; TVK's run of 14 wins in Chennai's 16 seats handed it to Kumar in his debut.

Party
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
In government
Minister · Artificial Intelligence · Information Technology · Digital Services · from 21 May 2026
Born
Around 1965; son of Ram Tula; voter enrolment in Velachery, Chennai
Profession
Civil engineer turned businessman and landlord; first-time MLA of 2026, Velachery (TVK)
District
Chennai

Education

  • 1989Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) — University of Madras.
  • 2024Business Leadership Programme — IIM Bangalore.

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.

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.

Questions people ask

Which minister is R. Kumar?

Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Digital Services in the Tamil Nadu government, from 21 May 2026; portfolios as on the Government of Tamil Nadu's list of ministers, checked 26 September 2026.

Who is R. Kumar?

R. Kumar was elected in 2026 as the 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 27-candidate field.

What does his 2026 affidavit show?

Total assets of around Rs 117 crore — among the wealthier first-time MLAs of 2026 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 three-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 27 candidates in total. Kumar's 33,305 margin was part of TVK's 14 wins in Chennai's 16 seats.

Other MLAs from Chennai district

N. Marie WilsonDr.Radhakrishnan Nagar · TVKC. Joseph VijayPerambur · TVKV. S. BabuKolathur · TVKAadhav ArjunaVillivakkam · TVKM. R. PallaviThiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar · TVKRajmohanEgmore · TVKK. V. Vijay DamuRoyapuram · TVKP. K. SekarbabuHarbour · DMKUdhayanidhi StalinChepauk-Thiruvallikeni · DMKJ. C. D. PrabhakarThousand Lights · TVKV. K. RamkumarAnna Nagar · TVKR. SabarinathanVirugampakkam · TVKM. Arul PrakasamSaidapet · TVKN. AnandThiyagarayanagar · TVKP. VenkataramananMylapore · TVK

Page last changed 2 October 2026.

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