CHENNAI: R Elangovan, 57, dons multiple hats - president of Salem district central cooperative bank, chairman of Tamil Nadu Apex Cooperative bank, Salem rural district Amma Peravai secretary and above all close confidante of former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The story of Elangovan was a typical case of rags to riches, from being a street vendor to that of a multi-millionaire, but for the fact that his ways and means have now come under legal scrutiny. Those in Salem AIADMK recall his meteoric growth over the past three decades from a teenager who ran errands for partymen to a power centre. Towards the fag end of the AIADMK rule, his clout grew much beyond Salem.
A class nine dropout from Puthiragoundanpalayam near Attur, Elangovan's tryst with politics began about 25 years back when he used to visit the MLA's office in Attur and carry out small errands for the party men visiting the office. The acquaintance with then Attur MLA A K Murugesan helped him get minor contracts in Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainages Board.
By 2006, he grew into a familiar face in Salem AIADMK and gradually caught the attention of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. But it was a surprise even to the partymen when Jayalalithaa announced him as candidate for Panaramarathupatti segment in the 2006 assembly elections. However, Elangovan lost the election and the importance given to him by the party high command dropped. That was when Elangovan, who feared that he might get sidelined, moved closer to EPS, who was then party organising secretary. "Elangovan knew how to scale up the ladder. He got into the inner circles of Sasikala family through one of their relatives. Soon he was in the good books of Jayalalithaa again," said a AIADMK functionary from Salem.
