TN 2026  ›  All MLAs  ›  I. Periasamy
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam · MLA Athoor · AC 129

I. Periasamy

I. Periyasamy retained Athoor (AC 129) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the DMK candidate, polling 1,06,240 votes and winning by a margin of 22,368 over TVK's N. Kalaiselvi. This is his sixth 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.

IP
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

I. Periasamy

DMKMLA · Athoor
Born
6 January 1953 in Batlagundu, Dindigul district (73 yrs)
Constituency
Athoor · AC 129
District
Dindigul
Party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Profession
Politician (1980s– ); long-time DMK organiser in Dindigul; Deputy General Secretary of the DMK since 9 January 2015
2026 result
won by 22,368 votes
Education
Bachelor of Arts-Madura College-Madurai Kamaraj University-1974

At a glance

2026 votes
106,240
in the assembly election
Margin
22,368
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Athoor
AC 129 · Dindigul
Party
DMK
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Field size
16
candidates contested
Age
73 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹7.36 cr
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
4 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationGraduate

ECI affidavit (2026)

4 pending criminal cases declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹7.36 cr.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹7.36 cr
Liabilities₹19.50 L
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Athoor

I. Periasamy polled 106,240 votes, defeating N. Kalaiselvi (TVK) by a margin of 22,368.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1I. PeriasamyDMK106,240
2N. KalaiselviTVK83,872
3A. ViswanathanAIADMK32,477
4Dr . A. Simon JustinNTK9,946
5NotaNOTA812

→ Full Athoor (AC 129) seat page · district: Dindigul

Family

Father was Irulappan, a farmer from Batlagundu. Son I. P. Senthil Kumar (b. 30 October 1977) is the sitting DMK MLA from Palani (AC 132) since 2016 — re-elected in 2021 and 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.

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 now extends to a second generation through his son's Palani seat.

Official channels

Instagram

FAQ

How many times has I. Periyasamy won?

Six — 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 from Palani (AC 132) since 2016, re-elected in 2021 and 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.

Sources