K. A. Sengottaiyan

Political Career

AIADMK (1972 – 2025)

Sengottaiyan was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate from Sathyamangalam constituency in 1977 election and from Gobichettipalayam constituency in 1980, 1984, 1989 (Jayalalitha faction), 1991, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 in Erode district. He allegedly punched Karunanidhi in his face during a violent clash in the assembly in 1989.

Sengottaiyan was the minister for transport from 1991 to 1996 during the first cabinet of Jayalalithaa. In 2000, he was convicted in two different corruption cases by the a Central Bureau of Investigation court for criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust involving misappropriation of transport Department funds related to his role as the minister. He was sentenced to four and five years of rigorous imprisonment in the cases respectively and given a fine of . Because of these convictions, he was disqualified from contesting the 2001 Assembly elections. In February 2005, he was acquitted by the Madras High Court in both the cases. In November 2006, the Supreme Court of India declined to interfere with the High Court's judgment as the appeal of the Government of Tamil Nadu was filed with a delay.

From 2006 to 2012, he served as the headquarters secretary of the AIADMK. He was the minister for agriculture until November 2011 when a cabinet reshuffle by Jayalalithaa resulted in Sengottaiyan taking over the information technology portfolio. Later in 2012, he was removed from his ministerial berth, and party positions by Jayalalithaa.

After the death of Jayalalithaa on 5 December 2016, and following the appointment of Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the chief minister, Sengottaiyan was appointed as the minister for school education in February 2017. The appointment of Sengottaiyan was the only change made to the cabinet by Palaniswami at that time.

In September 2025, Sengottaiyan urged the party general secretary Palaniswami to take steps to reunite expelled and dissenting leaders to restore the party’s strength ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. On 6 September 2025, he was removed from his party posts by Palaniswami. He subsequently met union ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on 10 September 2025, where he discussed unifying and strengthening the AIADMK. On 31 October 2025, he was expelled from the AIADMK under the allegation that he had accompanied expelled leaders O. Panneerselvam and T. T. V. Dhinakaran to Pasumpon for the Thevar Jayanthi ceremony.

TVK (2025–present)

After he was expelled from the AIADMK, he resigned as the member of the legislative assembly on 26 November 2025. He joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the presence of its leader Vijay and was appointed as the chief coordinator of the party's high-level administrative committee, and additionally as the organisation secretary for four western districts–Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, and the Nilgiris on 27 November 2025.

Elections contested and results

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections

References

References

1. (27 August 2012). "Jaya changes party HQ office-bearers". [[The New Indian Express]].
2. (9 June 2003). "Jaya sacks two top leaders from party posts". [[The Times of India]].
3. "K. A. Sengottaiyan: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More". One India.
4. "1977 Tamil Nadu Election Results". [[Election Commission of India]].
5. "List of MLAs from Tamil Nadu". Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu.
6. "1980 Tamil Nadu Election Results". [[Election Commission of India]].
7. "1984 Tamil Nadu Election Results". [[Election Commission of India]].
8. "1991 Tamil Nadu Election Results". [[Election Commission of India]].
9. "2006 Tamil Nadu Election Results". [[Election Commission of India]].
10. Naig, Udhav. (18 February 2017). "Nothing can 'beat' 1989 violence". [[The Hindu]].
11. "Jaya's minister Sengottaiyan gets 4 years' RI". [[Rediff]].
12. "Special judge rejects ex-minister Sengottaiyan's plea for stay". [[Rediff]].
13. "When a convicted Sengottaiyan stood disqualified from contesting elections". [[The Hindu]].
14. (20 November 2006). "SC dismisses the appeal of TN; clean chit to minister". One India.
15. "A former Minister and his ‘vada case’". [[The Hindu]].
16. (16 May 2011). "ஜெயலலிதா அமைச்சரவையின் 33 அமைச்சர்கள்: ஒரு பார்வை". One India.
17. (4 November 2011). "Jayalalithaa sacks six Tamil Nadu ministers". [[NDTV]].
18. (18 July 2012). "அமைச்சர் செங்கோட்டையன் நீக்கம்; கட்சி பதவியும் பறிப்பு!". [[Vikatan]].
19. Mariappan, Julie. (16 February 2017). "31-member Palaniswami cabinet to be sworn in at 4.30pm". [[The Economic Times]].
20. "Former T.N. Minister Sengottaiyan sets 10-day deadline for AIADMK unity talks". [[The Hindu]].
21. Muruganandham, T.. (6 September 2025). "Sengottaiyan’s ultimatum puts EPS under pressure as AIADMK faces fresh test of unity". [[The New Indian Express]].
22. (6 September 2025). "Sengottaiyan removed as AIADMK organisation secretary, Erode Suburban (West) district secretary: Palaniswami". [[The Hindu]].
23. (10 September 2025). "AIADMK’s K A Sengottaiyan meets Amit Shah; urges unity and return of expelled leaders to strengthen party". [[The New Indian Express]].
24. (10 September 2025). "'Don’t want to offend EPS': Sengottaiyan-Amit Shah meet brings BJP into AIADMK strife". [[The Times of India]].
25. "Tamil Nadu Politics: Amit Shah Meets Sengottaiyan, Snubs EPS in AIADMK Rift". [[Deccan Herald]].
26. (30 October 2025). "KA Sengottaiyan removed from AIADMK after unity show with expelled leaders". [[India Today]].
27. (30 October 2025). "Tamil Nadu: KA Sengottaiyan to move court challenging his expulsion from AIADMK". [[The Hindustan Times]].
28. (26 November 2025). "Sengottaiyan, former Tamil Nadu Minister expelled from AIADMK, joins Vijay’s TVK". [[The Hindu]].