S. Keerthana
Indian politician
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Sampath Keerthana (born 1996) is an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu. She is currently a minister in the Tamilnadu government and a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district representing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.[1] She was sworn in as the youngest minister in Vijay's cabinet on 10 May 2026.[2]
S. Keerthana | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2026 | |
| Chief Minister | C. Joseph Vijay |
| Ministry and Departments | TBD |
| Preceded by | A. M. S. G. Ashokan |
| Constituency | Sivakasi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1996 (age 29–30) Virudhunagar |
| Party | TVK |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life and education
Keerthana was born in 1996 in the Virudhunagar district.[3] She is the daughter of Sampath.[4] After doing her schooling in a government school in Tamil medium, she completed her B.Sc. in mathematics at a college affiliated with Madurai University and later did M.Sc in statistics in 2019 at Pondicherry Central University.[5][4][2]
Career
Before entering politics, Keerthana, worked as a political consultant and collaborated with several political leaders, including M. K. Stalin.[6][7][8]
Keerthana became an MLA for the first time winning her debut 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election from Sivakasi Assembly constituency representing the TVK Party. She polled 68,809 votes and defeated her nearest rival, Ashokan G of the Indian National Congress, by a margin of 11,670 votes.[9][10]
Controversies
After S. Keerthana’s victory in the 2026 election, she spoke in Hindi during some public interactions and stated that her goal was to help a wider audience connect with Vijay’s message and to expand the party’s reach nationally and internationally. Her remarks led to discussion and differing reactions in Tamil Nadu, where language policy and the role of Hindi in public life have long been politically sensitive issues.[11]