Datuk

Malay titles

The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....

 Saravanan s/o. Murugan, commonly referred to as M. Saravanan, is the member of the Parliament of Malaysia

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

 for the Tapah

Tapah

Tapah is the administrative town of the district Batang Padang, Perak, Malaysia .The name "Tapah" is said to be originated from the name of a fresh water fish, "Ikan Tapah"...

 constituency in Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

. He is a member of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and is the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Well-being in the Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 coalition government of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Najib Tun Razak

Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...

.

Before being elected to the Dewan Rakyat

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...

 (the lower house of Malaysia's Parliament), Saravanan was a Senator

Dewan Negara

The Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Negara consists of 70 members, of which 26 are indirectly elected by the states, with two senators for every state in the Federation, and the other 44 being appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong .The Dewan Negara...

. In the 2008

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

, he contested the seat of Tapah and won, defeating a People's Justice Party

Parti Keadilan Rakyat

The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...

 candidate. The MIC suffered widespread losses at the election, leaving Saravanan as one of only three MIC members in the Dewan Rakyat. Despite his party's reduced presence in Parliament and the ruling Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 coalition, Saravanan was appointed as a Deputy Minister.

Within the MIC, Saravanan is seen as an ally of its President Dato' Seri Samy Vellu

Samy Vellu

Dato' Seri Samy Vellu Sangalimuthu is an Indian Malaysian politician. He is the longest serving President of the Malaysian Indian Congress , a component party of the Barisan Nasional coalition, holding the position since 1979, for 11 consecutive terms...

, being elected as a vice-president of the MIC on Vellu's ticket and defending Vellu from opposition attacks.

Election results

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ Parliament of Malaysia

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...

: P72 Tapah

Tapah

Tapah is the administrative town of the district Batang Padang, Perak, Malaysia .The name "Tapah" is said to be originated from the name of a fresh water fish, "Ikan Tapah"...

, Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

!|Year
!
!|Barisan Nasional
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Opposition
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|2008

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

|
| | (MIC)
| align="right" |14,084
| |53%
|
| |Tan Seng Toh (PKR)
| align="right" |11,064
| |41%