✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Dayanidhi Maran

Dayanidhi Maran biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Dayanidhi Maran Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 3 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth5 December 1966

Age58 Years (as of 2024)

BirthplaceKumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India

ProfessionPolitician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpousePriya Dayanidhi Maran

FamilyFather: Murasoli Maran; Mother: Mallika Maran; Brother: Kalanithi Maran; Sister: Anbukarasi Maran; Children: Karan and Divya Dayanidhi Maran

Net worthRs. 3,65,71,969.58 (approx., financial year 2020-2021)

Dayanidhi Maran Biography

Dayanidhi Murasoli Maran is an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu who has served multiple terms as Member of Parliament for Chennai Central and held Union-c

Early life and background
Dayanidhi Murasoli Maran was born on 5 December 1966 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. Raised in a politically active family, he is the son of Murasoli Maran and Mallika Maran and is part of the extended family of M. Karunanidhi. He grew up in Chennai and completed his schooling at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Egmore. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Loyola College, Chennai, and later attended the Owner/President Management Programme at Harvard Business School.

Career
Dayanidhi Maran is a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and has represented the Chennai Central constituency in the Lok Sabha on multiple occasions. He first won the seat in 2004 and was appointed Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology on 22 May 2004. During his tenure in that ministry his efforts were associated with reducing mobile and landline call charges, expanding telephone connections, and encouraging large-scale investment into India’s information technology sector.

Maran resigned from the communications ministry on 13 May 2007. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from Chennai Central in 2009 and was appointed Union Minister for Textiles on 28 May 2009. He resigned from that ministry on 12 July 2011 amid events connected to the 2G spectrum case. In the 2014 general election he contested Chennai Central but lost to S. R. Vijayakumar of the AIADMK. He returned to the Lok Sabha by winning the seat again in 2019 and retained it in 2024, winning the Chennai Central seat by 4,13,848 votes.

Public profile
Maran’s political profile has included both ministerial responsibilities at the national level and a focus on telecommunications and information technology policy. He has been credited with policy measures and initiatives that aimed to increase telephone penetration and to make calls more affordable, including programs that sought broad nationwide connectivity and targets for large-scale expansion of telephone connections.

He is known within Tamil Nadu politics for his rivalry with S. R. Vijayakumar of the AIADMK and for his family ties to prominent political and media figures. His brother Kalanithi Maran is a businessman, and other family members are active in medicine and media business roles.

Personal life
Dayanidhi Maran married Priya Dayanidhi Maran on 26 August 1994. The couple have two children: a son, Karan Dayanidhi Maran, and a daughter, Divya Dayanidhi Maran. Maran’s listed personal interests include playing and watching golf, cricket, and tennis. He is described as practicing Hinduism and is identified with the Isai Vellalar community.

Controversies and legal matters
Public records note a legal matter related to an allegation that an unauthorised telephone exchange was set up at his residence during his tenure as Telecom Minister. In 2018 the Madras High Court charged him and his brother in a case concerning a BSNL telephone exchange, an episode described in public reporting as connected to alleged losses to the government. He also resigned as Minister of Textiles in 2011 in the context of the 2G spectrum case probe.

Latest updates
As of 2024 Dayanidhi Maran is the sitting Member of Parliament for Chennai Central after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha contest by a margin of 4,13,848 votes. Public disclosures filed in recent years list details of his movable and immovable assets and report an approximate net worth for the 2020–2021 financial year.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Dayanidhi Maran, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
◈

Recent Work

Member of Parliament, Chennai Central

Elected to the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019 and re-elected in 2024; has served multiple terms representing Chennai Central.

2019–2024
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Elected MP for Chennai Central in 2004, 2009, 2019 and 2024
  2. Served as Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology (2004–2007)
  3. Served as Union Minister for Textiles (2009–2011)
  4. Associated with initiatives to expand telephone connections and reduce call charges
₹

Net Worth

Rs. 3,65,71,969.58 (approx., financial year 2020-2021)

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Dayanidhi Maran born?

Dayanidhi Maran was born on 5 December 1966.

What is Dayanidhi Maran known for?

Dayanidhi Maran is known for politician.

What is Dayanidhi Maran’s marital status?

Dayanidhi Maran's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Dayanidhi Maran married to?

Dayanidhi Maran is publicly listed as married to Priya Dayanidhi Maran.

What is Dayanidhi Maran’s net worth?

Dayanidhi Maran's net worth is commonly listed as Rs. 3,65,71,969.58 (approx., financial year 2020-2021), based on available public profile information.