The Hindu (Tamil Nadu) ·
E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader, passes away at 78
Natchiappan shot to fame after defeating former Union Minister P. Chidambaram in the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency in the 1999 election
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan passed away at his residence in Sivaganga on Thursday (September 17, 2026). He was 78, and is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, and two elder brothers.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president Manickam Tagore, a nephew of Natchiappan, said his uncle had died in his sleep. “When he did not get up in the morning, his driver went to his room, only to find he was no more,” he told The Hindu.
A Congressman since 1969, Natchiappan rose through the ranks from his early days as the Singampunari Regional Youth Congress president to become the vice-president of the TNCC in 2002. He also served as the party whip in Parliament.
