| P. Dhanapal | |
| Office: | 13th Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start: | 10 October 2012 |
| Term End: | 6 May 2021 |
| Deputy: | Pollachi V. Jayaraman |
| Predecessor: | D. Jayakumar |
| Successor: | M. Appavu |
| Constituency: | Avanashi (2016-2021) Rasipuram (2011–2016) |
| Office1: | Deputy Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start1: | 27 May 2011 |
| Term End1: | 9 October 2012 |
| Predecessor1: | V. P. Duraisamy |
| Successor1: | Pollachi V. Jayaraman |
| Constituency1: | Rasipuram |
| Office2: | Minister for Food and Co-operation |
| Term Start2: | 22 May 2001 |
| Term End2: | 9 November 2002 |
| 1Blankname2: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata2: | J.Jayalalithaa O. Panneerselvam |
| Predecessor2: | Natham R. Viswanathan |
| Successor2: | P. Mohan |
| Office3: | Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare |
| Term Start3: | 14 May 2001 |
| Term End3: | 22 May 2001 |
| 1Blankname3: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata3: | J.Jayalalithaa |
| Predecessor3: | S. Selvaraj |
| Successor3: | V. Subramanian |
| Office4: | Member of the Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start4: | 2016 |
| Constituency4: | Avanashi |
| Term5: | 2011–2016 |
| Constituency5: | Rasipuram |
| Term6: | 2001–2006 |
| Constituency6: | Sankagiri |
| Term7: | 1977–1988 |
| Constituency7: | Sankagiri |
| Birth Date: | 16 May 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Karuppur, Salem district, Tamil Nadu |
| Party: | AIADMK |
P. Dhanapal (born 16 May 1951) is an Indian politician and incumbent Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He is a former Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
P. Dhanapal was born on 16 May 1951 in Karupur. He obtained a master's degree and is married with two children.[1]
Dhanapal was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as an All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Sankagiri constituency in the 1977, 1980 and 1984 and 2001 elections.[2] [3] [4] [5] In the 2011 and 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections he won from Rasipuram[6] and Avanashi constituencies, respectively.[7]
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition candidate | Opposition party | Opposition vote percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sangagiri | AIADMK | 53.27 | M. Paramanandam | DMK | 19.10 | ||
| 1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sangagiri | AIADMK | 56.61 | R. Varadarajan | DMK | 41.04 | ||
| 1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sangagiri | AIADMK | 56.99 | S. Murugesan | DMK | 40.98 | ||
| 1989 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sangagiri | AIADMK(J) | 34.15 | R. Varadarajan | DMK | 41.72 | ||
| 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sangagiri | AIADMK | 56.41 | T. R. Saravanan | DMK | 38.00 | ||
| 2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Rasipuram | AIADMK | 55.60 | V. P. Duraisamy | DMK | 40.36 | ||
| 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Rasipuram | AIADMK | 48.11 | Anandhan E | DMK | 32.31 | ||
| 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Rasipuram | AIADMK | 55.78 | Athiyamaan Raju | DMK | 31.57 |