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

I. Periyasamy
  • Won 2026 by 22,368

I. Periyasamy

ஐ. பெரியசாமி

MLA for Athoor since May 2026MLA for Athoor, 2026–31DMK

  • AC 129 · Dindigul district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Born 6 January 1953
declared assets
₹7.36 cr
pending criminal cases
4
education
Graduate
times elected MLA
7

Assets, cases and education as declared in the 2026 sworn affidavit to the Election Commission of India. The cases are pending, not convictions.

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Career

I. Periyasamy: the career, year by year

  1. 1989
  2. 1996
  3. 2006
  4. 2011
  5. 2016
  6. 2021
  7. 2026

Elected from Athoor 7 times

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  • Party
  1. 1986

    Becomes Chairman of the Batlagundu Union in Dindigul district — first major elected office (1986-1991).

  2. 1989

    First MLA win from Athoor on the DMK ticket with a 32.22% vote share.

  3. 1996

    Wins Athoor again with 64.09% vote share. Sworn in as Minister for Small Industries and Noon Meal in the fourth Karunanidhi ministry (13 May 1996 – 13 May 2001) — oversaw the small-scale industries department and the school midday meal programme.

  4. 2006

    Returns to the Assembly from Athoor (53.20%). Sworn in as Minister for Revenue and Housing in the fifth Karunanidhi ministry (13 May 2006 – 15 May 2011) — handled land revenue administration, the Patta-Chitta digitisation push, and TNHB / TNSCB housing programmes.

  5. 9 Jan 2015

    Appointed Deputy General Secretary of the DMK by M. Karunanidhi, succeeding Durai Murugan in the senior organisational role.

  6. 2011, 2016, 2021

    Wins Athoor in three successive elections — 59.58% (2011), 53.10% (2016) and 72.11% (2021).

  7. 7 May 2021

    Sworn in as Minister for Co-operatives in the first M. K. Stalin cabinet.

  8. 14 Dec 2022

    Cabinet reshuffle — moved to Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, a portfolio he held until the 2021-26 term ended on 5 May 2026. Oversaw rural infrastructure, panchayat administration and village-level employment programmes.

  9. 4 May 2026

    Won Athoor for the DMK (polling was on 23 April).

    See the full 2026 result
  10. 11 May 2026

    Continues as DMK MLA in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly — seventh Assembly term.

Profile

About I. Periyasamy

This is his seventh Assembly term from Athoor — across 1989, 1996, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026 (he lost the seat in 1991 and 2001). He served four ministerial portfolios across three different DMK cabinets — most recently as Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats (December 2022 – May 2026) — and is the Deputy General Secretary of the DMK since January 2015, succeeding Durai Murugan.

Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Born
6 January 1953 in Batlagundu, Dindigul district
Profession
Politician (1980s– ); long-time DMK organiser in Dindigul; Deputy General Secretary of the DMK since 9 January 2015
District
Dindigul

Education

  • SchoolingSchooling in Batlagundu, Dindigul district

Party & ideology

Periyasamy is among the senior generation that anchored the DMK's southern Tamil Nadu organisation across the late-Karunanidhi and Stalin eras. His successive portfolios — Small Industries, Revenue, Housing, Co-operatives, Rural Development — span the welfare-delivery spine of Dravidian governance. His elevation to Deputy General Secretary in 2015 placed him in the high-table of the party at the moment of the leadership transition, and his Dindigul base extended to a second generation through his son, MLA for Palani from 2016 and for Dindigul since 2026.

Family

Father was Irulappan, a farmer from Batlagundu. Son I. P. Senthil Kumar (b. 30 October 1977) won Palani (AC 127) for the DMK in 2016 and 2021, and Dindigul (AC 132) in 2026, and was Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission. Daughter-in-law Arul Mercy is a former television presenter; grandchildren are Aadhavan Senthil Kumar and Oviya Meenatchi Senthil Kumar.

Official channels

Instagram

Questions people ask

How many times has I. Periyasamy won?

Seven — Athoor in 1989, 1996, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026 (he contested but lost the seat in 1991 and 2001). He has held four different ministerial portfolios across three cabinets — Small Industries and Noon Meal (1996), Revenue and Housing (2006), Co-operatives (2021), and Rural Development and Panchayats (2022).

What is his role inside the DMK?

Deputy General Secretary of the DMK since 9 January 2015, succeeding Durai Murugan. The Deputy General Secretary post is one of the senior-most organisational positions in the DMK and signals high-table seniority.

Who is his son?

I. P. Senthil Kumar — DMK MLA for Palani (AC 127) from 2016, re-elected there in 2021, and elected for Dindigul (AC 132) in 2026. Born 30 October 1977, a Salem Law College alumnus, he is married to former TV presenter Arul Mercy.

What did he do as Rural Development Minister?

From December 2022 to May 2026 he oversaw rural infrastructure development, the panchayat-administration framework, and village-level employment and entitlement programmes — including the state's MGNREGA implementation and the Kalaignar Grama Membattu / panchayat building works.

Other MLAs from Dindigul district

K. RavimanoharanPalani · AIADMKR. SakkarapaniOddanchatram · DMKR. AyyanarNilakkottai · TVKNatham R. ViswanathanNatham · AIADMKI. P. SenthilkumarDindigul · DMKT. SaminathanVedasandur · DMK

Page last changed 2 October 2026.

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