Thangam Thenarasu (born 3 June 1966) is an Indian politician. He is a member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
He was born in Mallankinaru, Tamil Nadu. He has a bachelor's degree in Engineering.[2]
He has served as a Minister for Finance, Planning, Human Resources Management, Pensions and Pensionary benefits, Statistics and Archeology Minister of Tamil nadu. He was allocated Electricity and Non-Conventional Energy Development portfolios of minister V. Senthil Balaji who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a job racket case on 16 June 2023 by Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi on the recommendations of Chief Minister M K Stalin.[3]
He served as Minister for School Education in Tamil Nadu during 2006-2011. He has been elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly five times.[2] He is the son of the former Member of Legislative Assembly from Aruppukottai, V. Thangapandian.
He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Aruppukottai constituency in 1997–98 by-election, and 2006 election.[4][5] He is the younger brother of recently elected Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, from the Chennai South constituency, Thamizhachi Thangapandian.
Thenarasu, whose father was V. Thangapandian, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government minister,[6] himself became Minister for Schools in the DMK government that gained power at the 2006 state assembly elections. Thenarasu stood as a candidate in the newly created constituency of Tiruchuli for the 2011 elections.
He filed a case in the court against the Tamil Nadu Government's decision to form an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in construction of Tamil Nadu legislative assembly-secretariat complex.
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-election | Aruppukottai | DMK | Won | 36.50% |
| 2001 Tamil Nadu state assembly election | Aruppukottai | DMK | Lost | 40.32% |
| 2006 Tamil Nadu state assembly election | Aruppukottai | DMK | Won | 44.88% |
| 2011 Tamil Nadu state assembly election | Tiruchuli | DMK | Won | 54.36% |
| 2016 Tamil Nadu state assembly election | Tiruchuli | DMK | Won | 53.61% |
| 2021 Tamil Nadu state assembly election | Tiruchuli | DMK | Won | 59.15% |
| First Legislative Assembly |
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| Second Legislative Assembly | |
| Third Legislative Assembly |
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| Fourth Legislative Assembly |
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| Fifth Legislative Assembly |
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| Sixth Legislative Assembly |
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| Seventh Legislative Assembly |
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| Eighth Legislative Assembly |
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| Ninth Legislative Assembly | |
| Tenth Legislative Assembly |
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| Eleventh Legislative Assembly |
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| Twelfth Legislative Assembly |
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| Thirteenth Legislative Assembly |
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| Fourteenth Legislative Assembly |
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| Fifteenth Legislative Assembly |
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| Sixteenth Legislative Assembly |
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