MV Karuppaiah, the newly elected TVK MLA from Sholavandan, is set to become the protem Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly following the formation of the Vijay-led government.
A file photo of MV Karuppaiah (Election Commission official website)
MV Karuppaiah, the newly elected MLA from Sholavandan and a senior leader of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), is set to serve as the protem Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly following the formation of the new government led by Chief Minister Vijay.
Karuppaiah’s appointment comes at a crucial political moment in Tamil Nadu after TVK scripted a historic electoral debut in the 2026 Assembly elections.
A politician with prior legislative experience, Karuppaiah’s elevation reflects the trust placed in him by the new dispensation as the Assembly prepares to begin its proceedings under the newly formed government.
A VETERAN FROM SHOLOVANDAN
MV Karuppaiah is a politician from Tamil Nadu who has had a long association with electoral politics in the state.
He previously served as a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Sholavandan Assembly constituency while representing the AIADMK.
Ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Karuppaiah shifted to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and was fielded from the Sholavandan constituency in Madurai district, which is reserved for the Scheduled Caste community.
His return to the constituency under the TVK banner became one of the closely watched contests in the election, particularly because of the constituency’s fluctuating political history over the last several elections.
NARROW WIN IN 2026 ASSEMBLY ELECTION
In the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, Karuppaiah secured victory in a tightly contested race from Sholavandan.
Contesting as the TVK candidate, he polled 63,907 votes and defeated DMK candidate Venkatesan A, who secured 61,229 votes.
Karuppaiah won the seat by a narrow margin of 2,678 votes, giving TVK a significant victory in the constituency during its maiden Assembly election campaign.
The constituency had earlier been won by DMK’s V Venkatesan in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Venkatesan had secured 84,240 votes and defeated AIADMK’s K Manickam, who received 67,195 votes, by a margin of 17,045 votes.
Before that, in the 2016 Assembly election, AIADMK’s K Manickam had emerged victorious with 87,044 votes, defeating DMK’s C Bhavani, who secured 62,187 votes. The victory margin at the time stood at 24,857 votes.
Karuppaiah himself had earlier tasted success in the constituency during the 2011 Assembly election, when he won as an AIADMK candidate with 84,153 votes.
TVK’s victory in the 2026 election marked a major shift in Tamil Nadu politics, with the party winning 108 seats in its debut Assembly contest and ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK formations.
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