Located in the southern part of Chennai, Tambaram is a developing suburban area that is an entry and exit point for Chennai. As the area is growing rapidly, many people prefer settling down in and around Tambaram, which is well connected with the city and IT corridors. The second airport for the city and a bus terminal at Kilambakkam are some of the projects in the pipeline that could benefit the residents of the suburb.
Some of the areas in Tambaram constituency: Chitlapakkam, Kadaperi, Tambaram, Mudichur, Perungalathur, Sembakkam and Selaiyur.
Voters in 2016 (excluding postal votes)
- Total number of voters in 2016: 234467
- Male voters: 119821
- Female voters: 114644
- Third gender: 2
Polling percentage: 61.77%
Incumbent MLA
- Name: S R Raja
- Party: DMK
- S/o|D/o|W/o: Raghunathan
- Age: 50
- Address: 14, Reddy St, West Tambaram Chennai -600 045
- Criminal cases: 31
- Occupation: Business
- Contact Number: 984002 6066
Source: Raja.S.R MLA of Tambaram Tamil Nadu contact address & email
Read more: New cases? Deaths? Suburban Chennai grappling with lack of authentic COVID data
Election results 2016
S.R. Raja (DMK) won by a margin of 14,445 votes in the 2016 State Assembly Elections.
| CANDIDATE | PARTY | VOTES | STATUS |
| S.R. Raja | DMK | 101835 | won |
| Rajendran C. | AIADMK | 87390 | Lost |
| M. Chezhiyan | DMDK | 14,559 | Lost |
| Vedasubrahmaniam A. | BJP | 10,327 | Lost |
| R. Suresh | PMK | 7631 | Lost |
| Naganathan B. | NTK | 5237 | Lost |
| S. Mohamad Bilal | SDPI | 1135 | Lost |
Source: Chennai Election Results 2016
In the news
In 2018, Tambaram MLA S R Raja announced that the constituency would get a ‘smart’ fish market replacing the 50-year-old facility. It was inaugurated this January by MP T R Baalu. The proposed market has provisions for fish stalls, cutting and dressing facilities, cold storage units and other infrastructural facilities.
Read more: The story of how Chennai’s suburban rail commuters got usable toilets
Candidate list and details
| S. No | Name | Party | Age | Occupation | Criminal cases |
| 1 | S R Raja | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 64 | Business | 31 |
| 2 | Chinnaiyah T.K.M | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 59 | Retired | Nil |
| 3 | Siva Elango | Makkal Needhi Maiam | 44 | Social activist | Nil |
| 4 | Balakrishnan G. | Independent | 54 | Advocate | Nil |
| 5 | Rathinakumar R. | Independent | 28 | Daily wage worker | Nil |
| 6 | Anand Prabhu B. | Independent | 36 | Sales representative | Nil |
| 7 | Thangaraj V. | Independent | 47 | Business | Nil |
| 8 | Laksmanan N. | Independent | 42 | Sasthrigal Progitham | Nil |
| 9 | Venkatesan Balaji B. | Independent | 55 | Advocate | Nil |
| 10 | Krishna T V N H S R. | Independent | 41 | Service in private sector | Nil |
| 11 | Ramu A | National Democratic Party of South India | 53 | Business | Nil |
| 12 | Abdulnazar P A | Tamil Nadu Ilangyar Katchi | 47 | Acupuncture doctor | Nil |
| 13 | Kamatchi U. | Anaithu Makkal Arasiyal Katchi | 33 | Photographer | Nil |
| 14 | Sigamani S | Independent | 50 | Daily wage worker | Nil |
| 15 | Justin Charles.P | Republican Party of India (Athawale) | 52 | Social worker | Nil |
| 16 | Harikrishnan.R | Independent | 34 | Sum Engineering Contractor Manager | Nil |
| 17 | Kannairam.B | Independent | 60 | Business | Nil |
| 18 | Venkatesan.C | Veerath Thiyagi Viswanathadoss Thozhilalarkal Katchi | 44 | Saloon owner | Nil |
| 19 | Sivaraman.S | Independent | 56 | Accountant | Nil |
| 20 | Sureshkumar.T | Naam Tamilar Katchi | 47 | Battery service owner | Nil |
| 21 | Karikalan.M | Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam | 55 | Consulting engineer | 1 |
Detailed affidavits for candidates can be downloaded here.
Also read: Three ponds in Perungalathur get a new lease of life
Broad issues of the constituency
- There is a strong felt need for upgrading the sodium vapour street lights to LED lights and increasing the number of street lights in the area.
- Drinking water supply in Chitlapakkam needs to be streamlined. “Drinking water is supplied based on the population of the local body. The population of Chitlapakkam Town Panchayat is around 50,000. The panchayat should provide at least 35 litres per person every day. The daily supply is erratic and we have been pressing the officials to find drinking water sources and evolve an effective scheme for water supply,” says Dayanand Krishnan, president, Pradeep and Karthik Avenue Residents Welfare Association. At present, residents tap the borewell water which reportedly has a high TDS value due to which residents face health complications. “The water table dries up during the summer and we rely on water can suppliers,” R Raju, a Chitlapakkam resident says.
- The construction of an underground drainage project has been ongoing since the past 10 years due to which the sewage gets mixed with the lakes in Selaiyur, Sembakkam, Chitlapakkam, and Rajakilpakkam. The ongoing Tambaram Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) work is also one of the reasons for delaying the completion of UGD network. “Until the UGD project is completed, intercepting canals should be constructed in all waterbodies to divert the sewage,” adds Dayanand.
- Waste management in Chitlapakkam is a burning problem. “Garbage is collected only once or twice every week, due to which waste ends up getting dumped on the street corners,” says R Rani from Chitlapakkam.
- Upgrading Tambaram Municipality to a municipal corporation can speed up infrastructural projects and handling day-to-day activities like waste collection. This will also aid in getting sufficient funds.
- There are calls to speed up work on the proposed Metro rail link between Airport and Tambaram and Tambaram and Velachery. “ Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has already floated tenders for the 10 km long underground corridor from Lighthouse to Kodambakkam. The proposal to connect Tambaram with AIrport and Velachery has only been approved. If completed, it would be beneficial for the suburban residents,” Dayanand adds.
- The state of roads in Tambaram is a major problem for the residents here. “All the main roads in Mudichur are battered and have not been relaid in the past few years. Similarly, the Velachery Road widening project has been pending for more than five years now,” says S Divya, a resident of Tambaram.
Also read: