Sellur K. Raju

2021-12-18T13:50:44Z

2409:4072:19B:5BF9:F61D:E9A9:D216:187C:

{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sellur k. Raju
| image =
| honorific-prefix =
| caption = [[2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election 2016]]
| office = [[Minister (government)|Minister]] of [[Department of Co-operative, Food and Consumer Protection (Tamil Nadu)|Co-operation]] for Tamil Nadu
| party = [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| office2 =
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| term_end2 =
| office3 =
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
| office4 =
| term_start4 =
| term_end4 =
| office5 = [[Member of Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start5 =
| term_end5 = Present
| term_start6 =
| term_end6 =
| term_start7 =
| term_end7 =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
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| religion =
| imagesize =
| term_start = 16 May 2011
| termend = 6 May 2021
}}

'''Sellur K. Raju ''' is an Indian politician and incumbent [[Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers#Fifteenth Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly 2016 - Council of Ministers|Member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly]] for the [[Madurai West (State Assembly Constituency)|Madurai West constituency]] since 2011. He represents the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]] party. This was his first election and he won by securing 59 percentage of vote in Madurai west Constituency. He is the minister for Co-operation, which includes Co-operation, Statistics and Ex-service welfare.

== Personal life ==

Raju lives in [[Madurai]], [[Tamil Nadu]]. He has a B.Sc degree in from [[Madurai Kamaraj University |Kamaraj University]].<ref>[http://myneta.info/tamilnadu2011/candidate.php?candidate_id=280 SELLUR K RAJU (Winner)] Retrieved on 18 February 2018</ref> Raju was admitted to MIOT Hospital-Chennai on July 8, 2020 for COVID-19 treatment, has made a complete recovery. He was discharged from the hospital on July 17.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-18|title=TN Minister Sellur K Raju recovers from COVID-19, discharged from hospital|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tn-minister-sellur-k-raju-recovers-covid-19-discharged-hospital-128942|access-date=2021-05-03|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref>

==Political career==
He first won the Madurai (West) constituency in the state legislative elections in 2011 and has represented the party since.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-02|title=Tamil Nadu election result 2021 {{!}} Sellur Raju: MLA who covered lake with thermocol to prevent drought leading in Madurai West|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/election/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadu-election-result-2021-sellur-raju-mla-who-covered-lake-with-thermocol-to-prevent-drought-leading-in-madurai-west-981544.html|access-date=2021-05-03|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> In 2016, Raju ran on a ticket, where he promised to turn Madurai into [[Sydney]] in a matter of 18 months as part of a smart city mission.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tamil Nadu Election Result 2021 {{!}} Madurai West Assembly Constituency: AIADMK's Sellur K Raju Wins Over DMK's Chinnammal By 8,962 Votes|url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/politics/tamil-nadu-election-result-2021-madurai-west-assembly-constituency-aiadmks-sellur-k-raju-leads-chinnamal-6834391.html|access-date=2021-05-03|website=Moneycontrol}}</ref>

He publicly stated his admiration for Rajinikanth when Rajinikanth had finally announced his political plunge in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dtnext.in/News/Citizen/2018/05/15010113/1072517/Reporters-Diary-Thermocol-jokes-refuse-to-leave-minister-.vpf|title = Reporter's Diary: Thermocol jokes refuse to leave minister Raju's side|date = 15 May 2018}}</ref> Later, he stated that Rajinikanth might be able to win over Karaikudi aachi (elderly woman) but not Tamil Nadu aatchi (regime).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-05-12|title=Sellur Raju stokes controversy with his 'aachi' comment, apologises as people protest|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sellur-raju-stokes-controversy-his-aachi-comment-apologises-people-protest-81203|access-date=2021-05-03|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref>

== Thermocol Controversy ==
In 2017, the Raju used thermocol sheets to float in the Vaigai reservoir to conserve water. He had said that ₹10 lakh had been allocated for the experiment to cover a portion of the dam in order to reduce water loss due to evaporation. The sheets were swept away by strong winds just moments after Raju set pieces of polystyrene afloat. Social media reacted quickly, mocking him and the officials for coming up with such an idea.<ref>{{Cite news|last=B.A|first=Pon Vasanth|date=2017-06-12|title='Thermocol experiment' not backed by any project plan|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/thermocol-experiment-notbacked-by-any-project-plan/article18964730.ece|access-date=2021-05-03|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2017/apr/22/eureka-ministers-thermo-cool-project-to-prevent-water-loss-1596467--1.html|title = Eureka! Minister's thermo-cool project to prevent water loss}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Government of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raju, Sellur K.}}
[[Category:Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Members of the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]

{{TamilNadu-politician-stub}}

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Sellur K. Raju