Madurai Central Assembly constituency in Madurai district is a prominent and prestigious seat in the heart of the city. It houses the iconic Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and also important mosques and churches, representing people of all faiths.

In the 2026 Assembly election, the incumbent MLA Palanivel Thiaga Rajan of the DMK who has served as the Minister for Information Technology and Digital services and previously as the State Finance Minister in the DMK regime, will lock horns with well-known actor, director and producer Sundar. C.

Mr. Sundar, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate nominated by Pudiya Neethi Katchi will contest the Assembly election on the AIADMK’s ‘Two leaves’ symbol. Also, in the fray are K. Abdul Hakeem of the Naam Tamilar Katchi, Madhar Badhurudeen also known as Mustafa of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and P. Sakkaravarthy of the All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam.

Mr. Rajan who had won the 2016 and the 2021 Assembly election from the Madurai Central Constituency is aiming to secure a hat-trick of wins from the Assembly constituency. He won the 2016 Assembly election by securing 42.55% of the votes polled and improved his winning margin in 2021 by securing 49.47% of the votes polled in the constituency. He has released progress cards once in every six months on the works done for the people of the constituency, which is unique among the legislators.

With Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, popular among the people in the constituency and a popular personality like Sundar. C, entering into the mix, the fight in the Madurai Central constituency has gathered much attention.

Mr. Rajan, in his election campaign, has expressed confidence of winning from the Madurai Central Assembly constituency for a third straight time. At the same time, he has brushed aside the remarks made against him by his political opponents.

Mr. Sundar accompanied by his wife and BJP leader Khushbu have highlighted the civic issues plaguing the Assembly constituency in the election campaign. The other candidates too have been highlighting the same while addressing the people of the region.

In his response, Mr. Rajan said it was the role of Madurai Corporation to look into such issues and the State Ministers and MLAs should not interfere in the functioning of the local body unless in exceptional situations.

Though the people of the Madurai Central Assembly constituency have been supporting the DMK and Mr. Rajan for a decade now, they hope that the key issues that have been plaguing the constituency are taken up and completed on a war footing.

They pointed out that the shopping complex at the Periyar bus stand which was built as part of the Smart City Project remains shut long even after the construction. That there was no plan approval for the building is a different story.

Activist V.P. Manikandan, a resident of the region, complained about the lack of basic civic infrastructure. He said solid waste management was a major issue. Also, there was a need for proper storm water drains in the region. There was waterlogging in the place whenever it rained and it was difficult for people to come in and get out of their houses, he said.

The residents said there was traffic congestion and parking woes in the Madurai Central Assembly constituency which was a major commercial hub. The already narrow roads in the commercial hub were choking with traffic and haphazard parking. All these need to be regulated, they said.

Shopkeepers around the Masi, Moola and Veli Streets wanted multi-level parking slots for all types of vehicles as many roads were narrow. Likewise, they also urged for providing exclusive space for share-autos and auto rickshaws to park as they blocked the entry of the shops in many locations.

Some of the other demands of the people of the Assembly constituency was the need for better infrastructure around Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple. Adequate drinking water and toilet facilities near the temple for the tourists is essential and that it should be properly maintained, they said.

Another issue highlighted by the people was regarding the poor maintenance of the Thathaneri cremation grounds. It should be maintained in a proper manner, they said. Though the yatri nivas was recently opened at Ellis Nagar on the land owned by the Meenakshi Temple, the Tangedco had not provided service connection due to the non-submission of the completion certificate.