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

S. Rajesh Kumar
  • Won 2026 by 1,311
  • Minister

S. Rajesh Kumar

எஸ். ராஜேஷ் குமார்

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

Minister for Tourism · Tourism Development Corporation, from 21 May 2026

  • AC 234 · Kanniyakumari district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Age 51 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹4.61 cr
pending criminal cases
13
education
Postgraduate
times elected MLA
3

Assets, cases and education as declared in the 2026 sworn affidavit to the Election Commission of India. The cases are pending, not convictions. Age: from the Election Commission's candidate profile.

How did my village vote?Killiyoor seat page

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Career

S. Rajesh Kumar: the career, year by year

  1. 2016
  2. 2021
  3. 2026

Elected from Killiyoor 3 times

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  1. 2016

    Won Killiyoor on the INC ticket with 77,356 votes — a 46,295-vote margin; his first Assembly term.

  2. 2 May 2021

    Won Killiyoor on the INC ticket with 1,01,541 votes — a 55,400-vote margin (59.76% vote share), defeating AIADMK's Jude Dev K. V. comfortably.

  3. 2021–2026

    Served as MLA for Killiyoor through the 2021–26 Assembly. Designated Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party — one of the senior Congress voices on the Assembly floor under the DMK-led ruling alliance.

  4. Apr 2026

    Renominated by Congress for Killiyoor — one of 12 of Congress's 18 sitting MLAs kept on the 28-seat 2026 slate.

  5. 4 May 2026

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

    See the full 2026 result
  6. 21 May 2026

    Sworn in as Minister for Tourism and Tourism Development Corporation in CM Vijay's ministry.

  7. May 2026

    Part of the 5-MLA Congress bloc that pivoted from DMK to TVK on 6 May 2026 — and one of the senior Congress voices inside the alliance management.

Profile

About S. Rajesh Kumar

S. Rajesh Kumar won Killiyoor (AC 234) in Kanniyakumari district in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the Indian National Congress candidate — his third consecutive Assembly term, after wins in 2016 and 2021. He was, in 2026, Deputy Floor Leader of the Congress Legislative Party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Party
Indian National Congress
In government
Minister · Tourism · Tourism Development Corporation · from 21 May 2026
Born
Approximately 1976
Profession
Politician (INC); Deputy Leader, Congress Legislative Party — Tamil Nadu
District
Kanniyakumari

Education

  • PostgraduatePostgraduate degree qualification per ECI affidavit

Party & ideology

His Deputy Floor Leader role between 2021–26 made him one of the experienced parliamentary voices that the smaller Congress caucus of 2026 relied on. The 2026 win was unusually narrow (1,311 vs. 55,400 in 2021) — a sign of the broader TVK pressure on Kanniyakumari coastal seats.

Family

S/o · D/o · W/o G.Selvaraj. Spouse: Business.

Official channels

Rajesh Kumar on XRajesh Kumar on FacebookRajesh Kumar on InstagramPRS India MLA Track

Questions people ask

Which minister is S. Rajesh Kumar?

Minister for Tourism, Tourism Development Corporation 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 S. Rajesh Kumar?

Three-term Congress MLA from Killiyoor (AC 234) in Kanniyakumari district. First elected in 2016 (margin 46,295), re-elected in 2021 with 1,01,541 votes (margin 55,400) and again in 2026 with a much-narrower 1,311-vote margin. Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Tamil Nadu.

What is his role inside the Congress in Tamil Nadu?

Deputy Floor Leader / Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The role makes him second only to the floor leader inside the small 5-MLA Congress caucus in the 17th Assembly.

Why did his margin shrink so much in 2026?

From 55,400 in 2021 to 1,311 in 2026 — a 42× drop. The shift reflects the broader TVK wave that compressed margins across southern Tamil Nadu's traditional Dravidian seats. Congress won Killiyoor and two other Kanniyakumari seats, Colachal and Vilavancode, but at far tighter spreads than five years earlier.

When was he first an MLA?

He first won Killiyoor in 2016. The 2026 win was his third consecutive term.

Other MLAs from Kanniyakumari district

N. Thalavai SundaramKanniyakumari · AIADMKAustinNagercoil · DMKTharahai CuthbertColachal · INCR. ChellaswamyPadmanabhapuram · CPMT. T. PraveenVilavancode · INC

Page last changed 2 October 2026.

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