Table of contents
- Political Representation
- Candidates for 2026 polls
- Previous Results: 2021
- Previous Results: 2016
- Also read:
Located in South Chennai, the Velachery Assembly constituency encompasses both old, planned residential localities and congested areas. It is home to major IT hubs and some of the city’s premium educational institutions, including the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and Anna University. The constituency’s demographic includes a mix of middle-class and upper middle-class residents, along with a sizeable migrant population. The constituency includes the localities of Adyar, Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Tharamani, Velachery and parts of Adambakkam.
Despite being well-connected to other parts of the city, through bus and Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) services, Velachery has long faced traffic congestion and infrastructure issues, especially in the newer localities. Flooding during monsoons and poor maintenance of the stormwater drain network are persistent problems flagged by residents.
J M H Aassan Maulaana of the Indian National Congress (INC) is the MLA of Velachery constituency. He won the seat in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as part of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).
Political representation
The Velachery constituency is not a reserved seat but comes under the general category.
Candidates for 2026 polls
The Velachery Assembly Constituency includes three wards and has around 2.10 lakh registered voters. Candidates from the Indian National Congress, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and Naam Tamilar Katchi are in the fray.
A total of 27 candidates are contesting from the Velachery constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections. Aassan Maulaana, who won the Velachery seat in the 2021 assembly elections, has been renominated by the DMK-INC alliance. MK Ashok, his nearest opponent, who lost by a narrow margin of about 4,300 votes, has again been fielded by the AIADMK.
Top candidates
| 2026 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Link to Affidavit |
| 1 | M K Ashok | Male | AIADMK | 54 | Download here |
| 2 | J M H Aassan Maulaana | Male | INC | 42 | Download here |
| 3 | M Keerthana | Female | NTK | 33 | Download here |
All candidate details can be found on the portal of the ECI here.
2021 polling snapshot
- Total number of voters:1,76,784
- Male Voters: 87,640
- Female voters: 88126
- Others: 0
- Polling percentage: 56.2%
Source: Election Commission of India
Previous Results 2021
| 2021 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Votes polled (Share of vote %) |
| 1 | J M H Aassan Maulaana | Male | INC | 36 | 38.76% |
| 2 | M K Ashok | Male | AIADMK | 49 | 36.3% |
| 3 | Santhosh Babu | Male | MNM | 53 | 13.06% |
| 4 | M Keerthana | Female | NTK | 28 | 8.02% |
| 5 | M Chandrabose | Male | AMMKMNKZ | 61 | 1.12% |
Source: Election Commission of India
Previous Results 2016
| 2016 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Votes polled (Share of vote %) |
| 1 | Vagai Chandrashekhar | Male | DMK | 59 | 39.96 % |
| 2 | C Munusamy | Male | AIADMK | 54 | 34.91 % |
| 3 | P Sritharan | Male | BJP | 49 | 8.25 % |
| 4 | V N Rajan | Male | DMDK | 47 | 5.50 % |
| 5 | Vinobha Bhoopathy | Male | PMK | 34 | 3.88 % |
Source: ECI
Incumbent MLA: J M H Aassan Maulaana
J M H Aassan Maulaana of the Indian National Congress was elected from the Velachery Assembly Constituency in 2021, as part of the Secular Progressive Alliance. In 2016, Vagai Chandrashekhar of the DMK had won the Tamil Nadu Assembly election from this constituency. He did not get a shot at re-election as DMK allocated the Velachery seat to its ally, the INC.
Aassan Maulana is a businessman and holds a post-graduate degree in business administration. He is the son of former Member of Parliament, J M Haroon Rashid, who represented the Theni Lok Sabha constituency.
MLA profile
Age: 41
Educational qualification: Postgraduate (Master’s in Business Administration from New College Institute of Management, Chennai).
Contact details: 044 – 47455502/98403 84523; mlavelachery@tn.gov.in.
Criminal cases: Four
- 1 charge related to rape (IPC Section-376)
- 4 charges related to punishment for being a member of an unlawful assembly (IPC Section-143)
- 2 charges related to negligent act likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life (IPC Section-269)
- 1 charge related to negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter (IPC Section-285)
- 1 charge related to joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse (IPC Section-145)
- 1 charge related to disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant (IPC Section-188)
- 1 charge related to assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty (IPC Section-353)
- 1 charge related to cheating (IPC Section-417)
- 1 charge related to Enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman (IPC Section-498)
Social media presence
- X (Twitter):@Hassan_tnpyc
- Facebook: @hassan.moulana
- (Instagram:@jmh_hassan
Source and other details: Myneta.info
MLA in the media
In September last year, the Velachery Congress MLA Aassan Maulaana had moved the Madras High Court against an Election Commission show-cause notice over alleged non-disclosure of ₹33.05 lakh spent on newspaper advertisements during the 2021 polls. Maulana alleged that the money was not spent by him but by his party for the campaign. The court had directed the ECI to file a counter affidavit.
In August 2024, the Alliance of Residents Welfare Associations (AoRWA) had written to Chief Minister M K Stalin complaining about the Velachery MLA in connection with a land dispute. According to a news report, Aassan Moulana had allegedly threatened some RWA members of Kodangaiyur, when the GCC was removing encroachments in the area.
Maulaana earlier faced a 2016 FIR for harassment of an AIADMK functionary, adding to his legal troubles. He also has a serious charge of rape pending against him, among other criminal cases.
Key citizen demands
Localities in the Velachery constituency continue to face flooding during the rainy season, despite promises made by successive State governments to address the issue. While older areas such as Adyar and Besant Nagar have better sewer infrastructure, rampant development across the IT corridor has led to sewage and drainage issues in the densely populated residential and commercial zones. Residents of Velachery demand that the government implement flood mitigation measures and urgently provide proper SWD infrastructure.
Recently, at a citizens’ meet organised by SPARK in Besant Nagar, residents demanded regulation of stalls on Elliots beach, removal of encroachments along waterways in the constituency and development of public spaces while maintaining tree cover in the localities.
Velachery became a separate constituency in 2008, following delimitation. Despite many infrastructure projects being taken up over the years, traffic congestion and poor road conditions continue to persist. Moreover, residents have repeatedly flagged the lack of a bund at and poor maintenance of Velachery Lake, which they say is responsible for water entering nearby residential areas during the monsoons.
Also read:
- Pre-poll report card: Citizens raise concerns over urban planning and governance gaps
- Pre-poll report card: Chennai’s persistent waste crisis needs better policy, say residents