Maharashtra polls: Sion corporator 'Captain' Tamil R Selvan voted only Tamil MLA

MUMBAI: 'Captain' Tamil R Selvan, the only Tamil MLA in the new Maharashtra assembly, had never expected to be a politician when he left his Pudukottai village in Tamil Nadu after completing his pre-university studies. As BJP candidate from Sion Koliwada, he defeated sitting Congress MLA Jagannath Shetty, who was sure of a hat trick.

Selvan, 55, said voters now are much more aware and the only way to sway them is by working hard. It helped that he was a corporator from his constituency. "As a corporator in the last two years, people saw my work and believed I deserved a chance as an MLA," said the first-time MLA.

How did he get tagged Captain? Since his entry into politics, he has always headed some association or party unit. "That's when people started referring to me as Captain and the title has stayed."

It is a far cry from the days when he arrived in the city and started doing odd jobs. He went on to become a central government contractor and politics followed. Father to two daughters, he said his family is overwhelmed by his win. One cannot deny the constituency has a large number of Tamil-origin voters, but people across communities voted for him in this Modi wave, he added.