Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), 60, is a DMK politician representing Madurai Central and currently serves as Tamil Nadu's Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services. He comes from distinguished political lineage: his grandfather P.T. Rajan was Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, and his father P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan served as Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Unlike typical political heirs, PTR entered politics after a successful 20+ year international banking career at Lehman Brothers and Standard Chartered Bank, armed with degrees from NIT Trichy (B.Tech), SUNY (MS and PhD), and MIT Sloan School of Management (MBA). He won Madurai Central for the first time in 2016 with 42.55% votes, defeating AIADMK by 5,762 votes, then strengthened his hold in 2021 with 49.47% votes and a margin of 34,176 votes. PTR's political career has been marked by both recognition and controversy. Appointed founding Secretary of DMK's IT Wing in June 2017, he built a technology cadre of over 150,000 office bearers and serves as a party spokesperson on economic matters. His expertise earned him the Finance portfolio initially, but a May 2023 cabinet reshuffle moved him to IT Ministry—a change that sparked widespread social media support for him. However, his tenure has been shadowed by controversies: in May 2023, BJP's K. Annamalai released audio clips allegedly showing PTR making negative remarks about CM Stalin's family and corruption allegations, which PTR dismissed as 'forged and malicious.' More seriously, in February 2026, his former personal assistant Jai Balaji and wife were arrested for allegedly defrauding contractors and the public of ₹100 crore by promising government contracts using PTR's name. As he seeks a third consecutive term in 2026, PTR faces a high-profile battle against filmmaker Sundar C in a constituency frustrated by unresolved civic issues—poor drainage, waste management failures, and Vaigai River pollution dominate voter concerns. His campaign emphasizes administrative competence and fiscal discipline, pointing to Tamil Nadu's economic performance under DMK governance. With declared assets of ₹50.45 crore (₹32 crore movable, ₹18.44 crore immovable) and zero criminal cases, PTR presents as a technocrat-politician. Voters must weigh his educational pedigree and IT sector transformation against mounting allegations, his office's integrity questions, and most importantly, whether his three terms have translated into tangible civic improvements for Madurai Central's residents.