List of Speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

This article is part of the series:
Government of Tamil Nadu and Politics

The Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu, the main law-making body for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is elected by the members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (until 1968, the Madras Legislative Assembly). The speaker is always a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Contents

List of Presidents of the Madras Legislative Council

Madras Legislative Council, the first representative legislature for the Madras Presidency (political predecessor for Tamil Nadu) was inaugurated in December 1920 as per the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms. The presiding officer of the Council was known as the President. The first President, Sir P. Rajagopalachari was not elected but nominated and took office on December 17, 1920.

# Name Took office Left office Political party Term
1 P. Rajagopalachari 1920 February 1925 1
2 L. D. Swamikannu Pillai February 1925 September 1925 1
3 M. Ratnaswami September 1925 1926 1
4 C. V. S. Narasimha Raju 1926 1930 1
5 B. Ramachandra Reddi 1930 1937 1

List of Chairmen of Madras Legislative Council

With the introduction of provincial autonomy in 1937, the Council became the upper chamber of a bicameral legislature. The presiding officer of the Council was called as the "Chairman of the Council". This agreement continued in the Republic of India as well till the Council's abolition in 1986.

# Name Took office Left office Political party
1 U. Rama Rao 1937 1945 Indian National Congress
2 R. B. Ramakrishna Raju 1946 1952 Indian National Congress
3 P. V. Cherian 1952 20 April 1964 Indian National Congress
4 M. A. Manickavelu Naicker 1964 1970 Indian National Congress
5 C. P. Chitrarasu 1970 1976 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
6 M. P. Sivagnanam 1976 1986 Tamil Arasu Kazhagam

List of Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Madras Presidency

The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy and ensured provincial autonomy. It created a bicameral legislature in the Madras Presidency. The Legislature consisted of the Governor and two Legislative bodies - a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The presiding officer of the assembky was called as the "Speaker".

# Name Took office Left office Political party Term Deputy Speaker
1 Bulusu Sambamurti 1937 1942 1 Rukmini Lakshmipathi[1]
No Assembly[2] 1942 1946 1
2 J. Shivashanmugam Pillai 1946 1952 1 Ammanna Raja[3]

List of Speakers

Madras State

Madras State, precursor to the present day state of Tamil Nadu, was created after Indian independence on 26 January 1950.[4] It comprised present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The first legislature of the Madras State to be elected on the basis of universal suffrage was constituted on 1 March 1952, after the general elections held in January 1952.[5]

# Name Took office Left office Political party Term Deputy Speaker
1 J. Shivashanmugam Pillai 6 May 1952 16 August 1955 Indian National Congress[6] 1 B. Baktavatsalu Naidu
2 N. Gopala Menon 27 September 1955 1 November 1956 Indian National Congress[7] 1 B. Baktavatsalu Naidu
3 U. Krishna Rao 30 April 1957 3 August 1961 Indian National Congress[8] 1 B. Baktavatsalu Naidu
4 S. Chellapandian 31 March 1962 14 March 1967 Indian National Congress[9] 1 K. Parthasarathi
5 Si. Pa. Adithanar 17 March 1967 12 August 1968 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam[10] 1 Pulavar K. Govindan
Sources:
  1. "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India". Government of India. http://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in/STATISTICAL/tamilnadu.htm. 
  2. "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India". Government of Tamil Nadu. http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/list/assemblies-overview.htm. 

Tamil Nadu

Madras was renamed Tamil Nadu in August 1968.

# Name Took office Left office Political party Term Deputy Speaker
1 Pulavar K. Govindan 22 February 1969 14 March 1971 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) 1 G. R. Edmund
2 K. A. Mathiazagan 24 March 1971 2 December 1972 DMK 1 P. Seenivasan
4 P. Seenivasan (Acting Speaker) 2 December 1972 3 August 1973 DMK 1
3 Pulavar K. Govindan 3 August 1973 3 July 1977 DMK 2 N. Ganapathy
4 Munu Adhi 6 July 1977 18 June 1980 Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) 1 S. Thirunavukkarasu
5 K. Rajaram 21 June 1980 24 February 1985 ADMK 1 P. H. Pandian
6 P. H. Pandian 27 February 1985 5 February 1989 ADMK 1 V. P. Balasubramanian
7 M. Tamilkudimagan 8 February 1989 30 June 1991 DMK 1 V. P. Duraisamy
8 R. Muthiah 3 July 1991 21 May 1996 ADMK 1 K. Ponnuswamy,
K. Gandhirajan
9 P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan 23 May 1996 21 May 2001 DMK 1 Parithi Ilamvazhuthi
10 K. Kalimuthu 24 May 2001 1 February 2006 ADMK 1 A. Arunachalam
11 R. Avudaiappan 19 May 2006 15 May 2011 DMK 1 V. P. Duraisamy
12 D. Jayakumar May 2011 AIADMK 1 P. Dhanapal
Sources:
  1. "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India". Government of India. http://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in/STATISTICAL/tamilnadu.htm. 
  2. "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India". Government of Tamil Nadu. http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/list/assemblies-overview.htm. 

Notes