K. P. Anbalagan

Kariamangalam Pachiappan Anbalagan (born 30 April 1958) is an Indian politician from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam who was the former Minister for Higher Education and Agriculture department of Tamil Nadu. He belongs to the Vanniyar community, and is presently serving his fifth term as a Member of Legislative Assembly from Palacode, making him the longest serving MLA in the current Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, a record which he holds with fellow party members O. Panneerselvam and Pollachi V. Jayaraman.

Career He pursued his career into mainstream politics in 1996 and joined the AIADMK party in the same year. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Palacode constituency in 2001 and 2016. He was appointed the secretary of the Dharmapuri District in 2016 by the then Chief Minister of the state J. Jayalalithaa. He served as the Minister for Higher Education in the Government of Tamil Nadu and he was previously appointed the Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development & Information Minister of the state in 2009–2011.

On 19 June 2020, while being the Education Minister he himself reportedly confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 becoming the second major MLA from Tamil Nadu to be diagnosed with the virus after J. Anbazhagan. However the chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami denied the reports regarding Anbalagan diagnosed with coronavirus.

Electoral performance