# P. Kamalanathan

Kamalanathan s/o Panchanathan (Tamil: பி.கமலநாதன், romanized: Pi.Kamalanātaṉ; born 18 October 1965) is a Malaysian politician. He is a member of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He was the former Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Hulu Selangor and former Deputy Minister of Education I.

## Political career

P. Kamalanathan was elected to Parliament in a 2010 Hulu Selangor by-election after the death of the incumbent member Zainal Abidin Ahmad. The by-election saw the seat shift from Zainal's opposition People's Justice Party (PKR) to the Barisan Nasional. The MIC had sought to field veteran politician and defeated former Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament Palanivel Govindasamy, but Barisan Nasional's leaders wanted a lesser-known winnable candidate.
On 16 May 2013, after winning the 2013 general election, P. Kamalanathan was appointed as Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Learning II under the new cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Razak. After a cabinet reshuffle by the Prime Minister Najib Razak on 28 July 2015, P Kamalanathan was promoted and appointed as the Deputy Minister of Education II. He is tri-lingual; English, Bahasa Melayu and Tamil.
In the 2018 general election, P. Kamalanathan failed to be re-elected to the parliament.
In 2024, P.Kamalanathan was elected as MIC's central working committee member

## Election results

Parliament of Malaysia :
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout |
| 2010 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 24,997 | 51.79% | Zaid Ibrahim (PKR) | 23,272 | 48.21% | 49,067 | 1,725 | 76.07% |
| 2013 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 37,403 | 50.89% | Khalid Jaafar (PKR) | 33,989 | 46.25% | 75,113 | 3,414 | 87.65% |
| 2013 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 37,403 | 50.89% | Radzali Mokhtar (IND) | 1,105 | 1.50% | 75,113 | 3,414 | 87.65% |
| 2013 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 37,403 | 50.89% | Edmund Santhara (IND) | 999 | 1.36% | 75,113 | 3,414 | 87.65% |
| 2018 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 27,392 | 32.14% | June Leow Hsiad Hui (PKR) | 40,783 | 47.86% | 86,798 | 13,391 | 85.95% |
| 2018 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 27,392 | 32.14% | Wan Mat Sulaiman (PAS) | 16,620 | 19.50% | 86,798 | 13,391 | 85.95% |
| 2018 | P094 Hulu Selangor | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 27,392 | 32.14% | Kumar Paramasivam (IND) | 426 | 0.50% | 86,798 | 13,391 | 85.95% |
| 2022 | P132 Port Dickson | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 18,412 | 22.96% | Aminuddin Harun (PKR) | 42,013 | 52.40% | 80,185 | 23,601 | 78.00% |
| 2022 | P132 Port Dickson | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 18,412 | 22.96% | Rafei Mustapha (PAS) | 18,235 | 22.74% | 80,185 | 23,601 | 78.00% |
| 2022 | P132 Port Dickson | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 18,412 | 22.96% | Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri (PEJUANG) | 1,084 | 1.35% | 80,185 | 23,601 | 78.00% |
| 2022 | P132 Port Dickson | Kamalanathan Panchanathan (MIC) | 18,412 | 22.96% | Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah (IND) | 441 | 0.35% | 80,185 | 23,601 | 78.00% |

## Honours

* Malaysia :
** Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (2010)
* Kedah :
** Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Kedah (DPMK) – Dato' (2016)
* Federal Territory (Malaysia) :
** Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) – Datuk (2016)