P. H. Pandian

{{Short description|Indian politician (1945–2020)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = P. H. Pandian

| image =

| office1 = 6th Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

| term_start1 = 27 February 1985

| term_end1 = 5 February 1989

| deputy1 = V. P. Balasubramanian

| predecessor1 = K. Rajaram

| successor1 = M. Tamilkudimagan

| office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

| term_start = 10 October 1999

| term_end = 22 May 2004

| predecessor = M. R. Kadambur Janarthanan

| successor = R. Dhanuskodi Athithan

| constituency = Tirunelveli

| office2 = Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

| term_start2 = 30 June 1977

| term_end2 = 26 January 1989

| predecessor2 = D. S. A. Sivaprakasam

| successor2 = R. Puthunainar Adithan

| constituency2 = Cheranmadevi

| birth_date = 27 February 1945

| birth_place = Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, British Raj

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|01|04|1945|02|27|df=yes}}

| death_place = Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

| children = Paul Manoj Pandian (Son)

}}

Paul Hector Pandian (27 February 1945 – 4 January 2020) was an Indian politician of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu from Tirunelveli district. He served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1985 to 1989.{{cite web|title=Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India|url=http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/list/assemblies-overview.htm|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu}}{{cite web|title=Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Details of terms of successive Legislative Assemblies constituted under the Constitution of India|publisher=Government of India|url=http://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in/STATISTICAL/tamilnadu.htm|access-date=5 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409221838/http://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in/STATISTICAL/tamilnadu.htm|archive-date=9 April 2009|url-status=dead}} He served as Deputy Speaker and Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 21 June 1980 to 5 February 1989. He was one of the only two candidates elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislature from the V. N. Janaki Ramachandran Faction of AIADMK in 1989, when he won the Cheranmahadevi seat. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tirunelveli Parliamentary constituency in 1999. He was the organising secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which was led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

His son, Paul Manoj Pandian, was also elected an MLA for AIADMK in 2001 from Cheranmahadevi, the same constituency represented by P. H. Pandian in 1989.

Pandian was one of the two senior AIADMK leaders who had not supported the ascension of Sasikala within the party after the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016. Pandian further spoke out against Sasikala's chief ministerial candidacy in February 2017, asserting that she was unfit for the position. He also raised suspicions over Jayalalithaa's death claiming that she had died under unnatural circumstances.{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/aiadmk-leader-ph-pandian-raises-suspicions-over-jayalalithaas-death/articleshow/57015544.cms |title= AIADMK leader PH Pandian raises suspicions over Jayalalithaa's death |work=The Times of India |date=7 February 2017 |author=Julie Mariappan}}{{cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/ph-pandian-says-sasikala-unfit-to-be-cm-push-from-poes-garden-killed-jayalalithaa/540560/ |title= PH Pandian says, Sasikala unfit to be CM; push from Poes garden killed Jayalalithaa |work=The Financial Express |date=7 February 2017}}