The 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has witnessed a historic milestone — 23 of the 234 elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are Rotarians, making up nearly 10 per cent of the House. Among them, five have been inducted into the state cabinet.
The Rotarian legislators were recently felicitated at a special event in Tiruchirapalli by RI director M Muruganandam. Congratulating the ministers and MLAs, he said, “When your thoughts, words and actions travel in the same straight line, you can achieve wonders. If all of us, irrespective of who we are, follow Rotary’s Four-Way Test, our action will ultimately lead to positive outcome.”
S Shanmugasundaram (RID 3203) and P Saravanan (RID 2982), and MLA Leema Rose, an AKS member.
Reflecting on the importance of leadership, he added, “At some point in our lives, all of us would have wished for a good leader at the top — a good MLA, chief minister or prime minister. That word ‘good’ should remain at the core of anyone who takes up a leadership role, especially as a representative of the people.”
RID 3206 DG Chella Raghavendran said that though Rotarian leaders belonged to different political parties, they shared a common purpose — to do good for the nation.
State Industries minister and Sivakasi MLA S Keerthana said, “We will make Rotary proud through our action. We will follow what Rotary has taught us and prove through our work that we are Rotarians.”
We will follow what Rotary
has taught us and prove
through our work that
we are Rotarians.
S Keerthana
TN State Industries Minister
Environment minister Dr V K Rajeev, who is a past president of the Rotaract Club of Annamalai University, recalled his Rotaract journey. “Whatever transformation we were working towards during our Rotaract days, I want to continue that on a larger scale for the good of society. I request you all to support and join hands with me to make our state better,” he said.
Pollachi MLA K Nithyanandhan urged Rotarians to focus on contribution rather than expectation. “We must think about what we can do for our organisation, rather than what the organisation can do for us. We are all Rotarians, and our hands should always be hands that serve and give generously,” he said.
S Kanimozhi, representing the Kavundampalayam constituency, Coimbatore, echoed the sentiment, saying she was proud to be a Rotarian first and that her Rotary journey had played an important role in her success.
V K Ramkumar, MLA from Anna Nagar, Chennai, said, “The Rotary motto ‘Service Above Self’ is what has kept me on the right path with dedication until this moment.”
Madurai East MLA S Karthikeyan highlighted the lifelong bond with Rotary, when he said: “We may be MLAs for a minimum of five years, but we are Rotarians for life.”
M M Gopison, representing Madurai South, said Rotary had taught him to remain focused on service. “Rotary showed me that one can contribute to the transformation of society while pursuing a career or business,” he said.
Senior Rotary leaders from Tamil Nadu districts participated in the event.