MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)Former MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)
Won 2026 by 23,807
M. Manimaran
எம். மணிமாறன்
MLA for Thirumangalam since May 2026MLA for Thirumangalam, 2026–31DMK
AC 196 · Madurai district
Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
Term ended 10 May 2031
Age 51 at the 2026 election
times elected MLA
1
Affidavit details not verified yet: the public record we use for this seat could not be matched to this MLA, so assets, cases and education are not shown. Age: from the Election Commission's candidate profile.
Begins his first Assembly term as DMK MLA in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Profile
About M. Manimaran
His first Assembly term began in 2026, after three unsuccessful contests — Thirumangalam in 2011, Thirupparankundram in 2016 and Thirumangalam again in 2021, when Udhayakumar beat him by 14,087 votes. He is the DMK's Madurai South District Secretary and the younger son of senior DMK leader Sedapatti R. Muthiah, the long-time number-two of the AIADMK who later returned to the DMK fold.
Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Born
Born around 1975; Madurai district
Profession
Farmer and DMK organiser; District Secretary of the DMK Madurai South unit; first-time MLA of 2026
Manimaran's politics has been built ground-up over more than a decade of district-level organisational work after three earlier election defeats. As Madurai South District Secretary he runs a heavyweight DMK structure in a district central to the southern Tamil Nadu electoral map. His 2026 win — by over 23,000 votes against an AIADMK ex-minister — is one of the standout DMK results in Madurai.
Family
Younger son of Sedapatti R. Muthiah (4 October 1945 – 21 September 2022) — one of the founding leaders of the AIADMK who served as the party's number-two until 1998 and later returned to the DMK fold. Family is rooted in the Madurai South / Sedapatti belt; declared spouse on the ECI affidavit but kept further family details private.
Questions people ask
Was 2026 his first Assembly term?
Yes. M. Manimaran won Thirumangalam (AC 196) in 2026 as a first-time MLA of 2026 at his fourth try — he had lost Thirumangalam in 2011, Thirupparankundram in 2016 and Thirumangalam again in 2021.
Who is his father?
Sedapatti R. Muthiah (4 October 1945 – 21 September 2022) — one of the founding leaders of the AIADMK who was the party's number-two until 1998 and later joined the DMK. His son M. Manimaran has built his career inside the DMK from the union-secretary level upward.
What is his role inside the DMK?
DMK District Secretary, Madurai South District — a senior organisational post that runs the party's structure across one of the largest urban-rural districts in southern Tamil Nadu.
Who did he defeat in 2026?
AIADMK senior leader and former Tamil Nadu state minister R. B. Udhayakumar, who polled 64,484. Manimaran's margin was 23,807 votes — a notable upset given Udhayakumar's stature.
