Q Manivannan (Politician) Age, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)	Politician, Anthropologist, Scholar, Poet
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Scottish Greens
Political Journey	• 8 May 2026: Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh and Lothians East (1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1996
Age (as of 2026)	30 Years
Birthplace	Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Tamil Nadu, India
College/University	• O. P. Jindal Global University, Delhi, India • Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland • University of St. Andrews, Scotland
Educational Qualification(s)	• B.A. in Liberal Arts and Humanities from O. P. Jindal Global University, Delhi, India (2018) • Master of Philosophy in International Peace Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (2021) • Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland
Religion	Hinduism
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook
Relationships & More
Sexual Orientation	Nonbinary, Queer
Marital Status	Unmarried

Some Lesser Known Facts About Q Manivannan

• He grew up in Tamil Nadu, India.

• He reportedly comes from a lower-caste background.

• In 2021, Q Manivannan moved from Ireland to Scotland for higher studies.
  

  An old picture of Q Manivannan

• His Ph.D. studies at the University of St Andrews was funded under the ESRC research project. He pursued his research work from September 2022 to March 2026.

• His thesis was titled “Archiving and (Re)imagining Caregiving as Peacebuilding in Third World Social Movements”

• During his college days, Q Manivannan served as a non-binary community organiser, adviser, and educator with the United Nations. He has served in many trade unions and human rights groups.

• In 2025, he contested the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election from the City of Edinburgh Council on the ticket of Scottish Greens Party in Scotland. He achieved third place after the elections.

• In 2026, during the Scottish Parliament elections, Q Manivannan was a third candidate, in the list of the Scottish Greens Party, who contested from Edinburgh and Lothians East.
  

  Q Manivannan during a political campaign

• During campaigns, he claimed that he would work for immigrants, asylum-seekers, and the Palestinians. He raised £1,600 funds online to support his contest.

• Q Manivannan won a constituency seat and was appointed as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP).

• In his victory speech, he talked about his upbringing. He said that he was a transgender and non-binary queer from Tamil Nadu. He said,
  

  My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant … I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise, and I am standing here as your MSP now with care.”

  

  Q Manivannan while speaking during a political campaign

• After that, the opposition party leaders of the Scottish government questioned Manivannan’s right to contest as a candidate for the Scottish Parliament.

• Reportedly, before the elections, Q Manivannan was raising funds to renew his graduate visa so that he could live in the United Kingdom after the expiration of his visa.

• During the time of elections, he had not received renewed visas and did not own a British citizenship or indefinite leave to live in the UK.

• Many senior leaders from Scottish National Party (SNP) blamed the Scottish Greens Party to allow Manivannan to contest the elections.

• In Scotland, the student visa holders are not allowed to work part-time during their studies. They could not fill full time permanent job vacancies in Scotland.

• Graduate visa is granted to those students who have completed a British degree. It allows them to live and work full time in Scotland for three years.

• The Scottish Greens Party in its official statement later claimed that Manivannan was on a valid visa and was a Commonwealth citizen. It stated,
  

  Q is on a valid visa with the right to work and live in Scotland, and is a Commonwealth citizen.”

  

  Ross Greer, the Scottish Green co-leader, during a media talk while accusing opponents of ‘nasty’ attacks on Manivannan

• Q Manivannan was elected to serve the Scottish parliament for five years, so he had to get renewed visa during this parliamentary session.

• According to Manivannan, as of 2026, he had applied two visas i.e. graduate visa and global talent visa.

• The graduate visa would allow him to live in Scotland for three years, and the global talent visa would allow him to live in Scotland for five years.

• Initially, it was announced that Q Manivannan could serve his parliamentary duties and sessions from outside Scotland. As, the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) could reportedly work remotely, and they do not need regular attendance in the parliament.

• Later, a report from the BBC Scotland claimed,
  

  An MSP must have leave to remain to hold office at Holyrood under the Scotland Act.”

• The official reports warned that Q Manivannan would be disqualified from the Scottish parliament if he was not granted a new visa by the Scottish government.

• After that, the next candidate from the Edinburgh and Lothians East constituency list would replace him without any by-elections.

• During this time, in a media conversation, Q Manivannan said that the Scottish Parliament had granted everyone on visas the right to live and contest the elections. He said,
  

  Every MSP from every party represented in the Scottish Parliament unanimously voted to allow everyone with the right to live here to stand in elections, including new Scots on visas like me.”

  He added that he was proud of his heritage. He proudly became the voice of the migrants who were on visas and were fighting for their rights. He said,

  I am proud of my heritage and who I am. I am also proud to be a voice for all my constituents, including migrants and people on visas who are often shut out of our national debate.”

  

  Q Manivannan during a media conference

• Thomas Kerr, a deputy leader of Reform UK Scotland, stated in the media that the Scottish Greens Party had gone mad while choosing Q Manivannan as their party candidate and requested them to withdrew his candidacy.

• Kerr claimed that they were not even sure whether Manivannan would receive his five-year visa or not.

• Apart from being a politician, Manivannan is also a writer.

• On 24 February 2025, he published an academic article titled  “‘I will resurrect’: Reading and writing grief as political action” in Security Dialogue.

• Q Manivannan is an animal lover and has a pet dog. He often shares pictures of his pet on various social media accounts.
  

  Q Manivannan with their pet dog

• He is often spotted enjoying alcoholic beverages on various occasions.
  

  Q Manivannan while enjoying an alcoholic beverage

• Q Manivannan likes travelling to distant places and reading books in his free time.
  

  Q Manivannan while promoting books for reading