TN 2026  ›  All MLAs  ›  Manimaran M.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam · MLA Thirumangalam · AC 196

Manimaran M.

M. Manimaran won Thirumangalam (AC 196) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the DMK candidate, polling 88,291 votes and winning by a margin of 23,807 over AIADMK senior leader and former state minister R. B. Udhayakumar. This is his first Assembly term, after two earlier unsuccessful contests — Thirumangalam in 2011 and Thirupparankundram in 2016. 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.

MM
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Manimaran M.

DMKMLA · Thirumangalam
Born
Born around 1975 (51 yrs in 2026); Madurai district
Constituency
Thirumangalam · AC 196
District
Madurai
Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Profession
Farmer and DMK organiser; District Secretary of the DMK Madurai South unit; first-time MLA
2026 result
won by 23,807 votes
Education
Industrial Training(TS&M) in NTTF Institution,Coimbatore-2003

At a glance

2026 votes
88,291
in the assembly election
Margin
23,807
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Thirumangalam
AC 196 · Madurai
Party
DMK
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Field size
16
candidates contested
Age
41 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹49.12 L
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
0 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationOthers

ECI affidavit (2026)

0 pending criminal cases declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹49.12 L.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹49.12 L
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Thirumangalam

Manimaran M. polled 88,291 votes, defeating Udhayakumar R. B. (AIADMK) by a margin of 23,807.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1Manimaran M.DMK88,291
2Udhayakumar R. B.AIADMK64,484
3Sathishkumar N.TVK60,826
4Munish N.NTK11,139
5Jeevitha Nachiyar B.IND2,851

→ Full Thirumangalam (AC 196) seat page · district: 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.

Party & ideology

Manimaran's politics has been built ground-up over more than a decade of district-level organisational work after two 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.

FAQ

Is this his first Assembly term?

Yes. M. Manimaran won Thirumangalam (AC 196) in 2026 as a first-time MLA at his third try — he had earlier contested Thirumangalam in 2011 and Thirupparankundram in 2016, losing both times.

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.

Sources