Thulsi Thivani Manogaran

Summary

Thulsi Thivani Manogaran (born 9 November 1988) is a lawyer and DAP politician serving as the Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Buntong since November 2022, having won her debut election with 58.3% of votes and a majority of 19,155. The daughter of former Teluk Intan MP M. Manogaran, she relocated from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh to enter politics, bringing a background in human rights NGO work and legal expertise. In June 2025, she was co-opted to DAP's national Central Executive Committee, extending her role beyond the state assembly.

Biography

Thulsi Thivani d/o Manogaran (born 9 November 1988) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Buntong since November 2022 [1]. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, and holds the position of Women Assistant Publicity Secretary, having previously served as State Youth Head of the Legal Bureau of Perak DAP [1]. She has also served as State Assistant Publicity Secretary of DAP Perak since September 2024, and Women Assistant Organising Secretary of DAP since September 2023 [1]. She is the eldest daughter of M. Manogaran, a former DAP Member of Parliament for Teluk Intan [1]. Thulsi Thivani graduated from the University of Malaya with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and, after graduating, worked in Kuala Lumpur alongside non-governmental organisations in human rights to promote freedom of speech in Malaysia [1]. A year before the 2022 election, she was called upon by DAP to serve as a legal expert, after which she relocated from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh [1]. In the 2022 Perak state election, she won the Buntong seat with 58.3% of votes cast, defeating four other candidates with a majority of 19,155 votes [2]. In June 2025, she was co-opted as a member of DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) [3]. Buntong is located within the Ipoh Barat federal constituency and has the greatest percentage of Indian voters among state constituencies in Malaysia, with a voter composition of 52% Indians, 42% Chinese, and 6% Malays [1]).

Known for

Thulsi Thivani is known as the first-term Buntong MLA who won her maiden 2022 state election by a landslide majority of 19,155 votes, the largest margin in the Buntong seat's history [1]. She is a practising lawyer with a background in human rights NGO work, and serves on DAP's legal bureau at the state level [1]. In June 2025, she was co-opted to DAP's national Central Executive Committee [4].

Political positions

Thulsi Thivani has emphasised party loyalty and political integrity as core values, criticising party defections during the 2022 campaign [3]. As Buntong MLA, she has stated her commitment to improving local infrastructure in Buntong [1]. She has used her position in the Perak State Legislative Assembly to raise questions on public safety matters, including querying the Perak state government in November 2025 on safety measures and accident risk for hiking trails in forest areas [3]. She also raised concerns regarding temple management governance in coordination with other Perak assemblymen [5]. Her pre-political career in human rights NGOs focused on promoting freedom of speech in Malaysia [1].

Education

1. Pre-2022Graduated from the University of Malaya (UM) with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).⛓

Before politics

1. Post-graduation, pre-2021Worked in Kuala Lumpur alongside non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in human rights, promoting freedom of speech in Malaysia.⛓

Political career

1. 2021Responded to a call from DAP for legal experts to serve the people; resigned from her position in Kuala Lumpur and relocated to Ipoh to serve the party.⛓
2. November 2022Won the Buntong state seat in the 2022 Perak state election on her electoral debut, representing PH-DAP, with 58.3% of votes and a majority of 19,155, defeating four other candidates.⛓
3. September 2023Appointed Women Assistant Organising Secretary of DAP.⛓
4. September 2024Appointed State Assistant Publicity Secretary of DAP Perak.⛓
5. June 2025Co-opted as a member of DAP's national Central Executive Committee (CEC) following the 2025 DAP National Congress.⛓

Election history

• 2022Buntong (N.30), PerakWon58.3%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentThulsi Thivani is a member of the Pakatan Harapan state opposition in Perak, as the Perak state government is led by Barisan Nasional. She has raised questions in the Perak State Legislative Assembly on public safety issues such as hiking trail regulation, drawing responses from Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad.⛓
• OppositionAccording to Free Malaysia Today, Buntong assemblyman Thulsi Thivani accused a PN candidate of copying PH's manifesto during the 2024 Ipoh Timur by-election campaign period, characterising him as lacking an independent vision for the area.⛓
• ExpertAccording to Free Malaysia Today, P. Ramasamy — chairman of Indian-based party Urimai — characterised Thulsi Thivani's co-option to the DAP CEC in June 2025 as 'window dressing,' arguing that appointing Indian leaders without a grassroots support base would not strengthen DAP's standing among rank-and-file Indians.⛓
• VerifiedFactsBuntong has the highest proportion of Indian voters of any state constituency in Malaysia, with a voter composition of 52% Indians, 42% Chinese, and 6% Malays. Thulsi Thivani won the 2022 Buntong state seat with 58.3% of valid votes cast (21,412 votes) and a majority of 19,155.⛓