MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)Former MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)
Won 2026 by 8,260
Nivedha M. Murugan
நிவேதா எம். முருகன்
MLA for Poompuhar since May 2026MLA for Poompuhar, 2026–31DMK
AC 162 · Mayiladuthurai district
Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
Term ended 10 May 2031
Age 61 at the 2026 election
declared assets
₹13.52 cr
pending criminal cases
1
education
8th pass
times elected MLA
2
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.
Builds the Nivedha family of businesses in Poriyar, Mayiladuthurai district — Nivedha Transport, Nivedha Pharmacy, and the Nivedha Educational Trust which runs Nivedha Matriculation School.
Pre-2021
Rises through the DMK organisation in Mayiladuthurai; takes charge as Mayiladuthurai DMK district secretary.
2021
First MLA win — wins Poompuhar on the DMK ticket in the 2021 Assembly election with 96,102 votes (46.24% vote share), defeating AIADMK's S. Pavunraj by 3,299 votes.
Jan 2022
Hits headlines after driving a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus on a constituency visit — a viral moment, given the MLA's own Nivedha Transport business.
4 May 2026
Won Poompuhar for the DMK (polling was on 23 April).
Took oath as MLA in the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly — the start of a second consecutive term.
Profile
About Nivedha M. Murugan
This is Nivedha M. Murugan's second consecutive term from Poompuhar, after a 2021 win against the same AIADMK candidate. Outside politics, the MLA runs the Nivedha group of businesses in Poriyar — covering transport, pharmacy and education — and was, in 2026, the DMK's Mayiladuthurai district secretary.
Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Born
1964 or 1965; enrolled voter in Poompuhar (AC 162); relative named on the 2026 ECI affidavit: Munusamy
Profession
Owner-promoter of Nivedha Transport, Nivedha Pharmacy and Nivedha Educational Trust (Poriyar); teaching staff at Nivedha Matriculation School; Mayiladuthurai DMK district secretary; Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Schooling8th Standard — Porayar Andavar High School, Mayiladuthurai district.
Party & ideology
Nivedha Murugan represents the DMK's mid-tier organisational base in the Cauvery Delta — a small-business owner-educator who built local credibility in Poriyar before moving up to district secretary and then MLA. The MLA's platform leans on DMK's social-welfare delivery (Magalir Urimai Thogai, free bus travel for women, school upgrades) and the Mayiladuthurai-Poompuhar focus on coastal livelihoods, river-mouth ecology and tourism. Two consecutive wins (2021, 2026) made Nivedha Murugan a settled district-level DMK leader.
Family
Relative named on the 2026 ECI affidavit: Munusamy. Spouse is a Trustee of the Nivedha Educational Foundation. Family business spans transport, pharmacy and the education trust that runs Nivedha Matriculation School in Poriyar.
No — Nivedha M. Murugan was by 2026 a two-term MLA from Poompuhar, having first won in 2021 against AIADMK's S. Pavunraj by 3,299 votes, and then won again in 2026 against the same opponent by 8,260 votes.
What businesses does the MLA own?
Per the 2026 ECI affidavit, the MLA is the owner-promoter of Nivedha Transport, Nivedha Pharmacy, and the Nivedha Educational Trust (which runs Nivedha Matriculation School in Poriyar). The MLA's spouse is Trustee of the Nivedha Educational Foundation.
What was the 'MLA who drove a bus' moment?
In January 2022, the MLA drove a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus during a constituency visit — a moment that went viral on social media. The MLA also owns Nivedha Transport, a private transport business.
What are the MLA's declared assets?
Total assets of approximately ₹13.52 crore per the 2026 ECI affidavit, with about ₹13.57 crore in liabilities — a marginally negative net worth on paper. One pending case at Mayiladuthurai Railway Police Station under IPC Section 147 and Section 174 of the Railways Act, 2008. No convictions.
