# Manikavasagam Sundram

Manikavasagam s/o Sundram (Tamil: சு. மாணிக்கவாசகம்) (born 27 June 1965) is a Malaysian politician and social activist who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kapar from March 2008 to May 2013. He is a member of the Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), a component party of formerly Barisan Alternatif (BA) coalition and was a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and BA coalitions. He has served as the Vice President of PRM since March 2024.

## Political career

Manikavasagam was elected to Parliament in the 2008 election, winning the seat of Kapar, previously held by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Before his election, Manikavasagam was a prominent leader in the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF).
In December 2008, Manikavasagam announced he would leave PKR, citing disappointment with the party's leadership in Selangor. He eventually resigned from a leadership position within PKR, but not from the party itself.
In June 2009, an arrest warrant was issued for Manikavasagam after he allegedly refused to respond to a subpoena to testify at an inquest into the death of an actress. Manikavasagam applied to have the warrant set aside, and eventually testified at the inquest. Less than two weeks later, he was arrested over an unrelated public demonstration.
PKR did not renominate Manikavasagam to defend his Kapar parliamentary seat in the 2013 election. He contested the Selangor State Legislative Assembly seat of Bukit Melawati instead, losing to a United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) candidate. In 2014 he was suspended from PKR for making allegations of "money politics" against the Selangor Chief Minister Khalid Ibrahim. After the lifting of his suspension, he challenged Khalid for the leadership for the Selangor division of PKR, and won, part of a series of events culminating in Khalid's downfall as Chief Minister later in the year.
On 7 April 2018, he announced that he has rejoined Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), a party which he first joined in 1999 before leaving for PKR in 2000. He also contested for the Kapar parliamentary seat and Meru state seat in the 2018 election under PRM ticket but lost both.

## Election results

Selangor State Legislative Assembly :
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout |
| 2013 | N10 Bukit Melawati | Manikavasagam Sundram (PKR) | 6,490 | 45.99% | Jakiran Jacomah (UMNO) | 7,296 | 51.70% | 14,113 | 806 | 87.60% |
| 2018 | N42 Meru | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 346 | 1.02% | Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar (AMANAH) | 17,665 | 52.04% | 34,448 | 9,608 | 88.12% |
| 2018 | N42 Meru | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 346 | 1.02% | Khairul Anuar Saimun (UMNO) | 8,057 | 23.74% | 34,448 | 9,608 | 88.12% |
| 2018 | N42 Meru | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 346 | 1.02% | Noor Najhan Mohd Salleh (PAS) | 7,804 | 22.99% | 34,448 | 9,608 | 88.12% |
| 2018 | N42 Meru | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 346 | 1.02% | Shee Chee Weng (IND) | 72 | 0.21% | 34,448 | 9,608 | 88.12% |
Parliament of Malaysia :
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout |
| 2008 | P109 Kapar | Manikavasagam Sundram (PKR) | 48,196 | 57.31% | Komala Devi M Perumal (MIC) | 35,899 | 42.69% | 87,286 | 12,297 | 77.78% |
| 2018 | P109 Kapar | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 525 | 0.49% | Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PKR) | 47,731 | 44.99% | 107,829 | 16,306 | 86.27% |
| 2018 | P109 Kapar | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 525 | 0.49% | Mohana Muniandy Raman (MIC) | 26,412 | 24.90% | 107,829 | 16,306 | 86.27% |
| 2018 | P109 Kapar | Manikavasagam Sundram (PRM) | 525 | 0.49% | Abd Rani Osman (PAS) | 31,425 | 29.62% | 107,829 | 16,306 | 86.27% |