Thiruvananthapuram: Mananthavady MLA O R Kelu will become the new Minister for the Welfare of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, replacing K Radhakrishnan who has been newly elected to the Parliament. Kelu will be the first CPM minister from Wayanad district. 

Kelu is also the first Scheduled Tribe leader to reach the CPM State committee from the Wayanad district. Kelu is the State president of Adivasi Kshema Samithi, the party's tribal frontal organisation, as well.

A deserving recognition 

The 52-year-old's induction into the Cabinet is also a recognition of his efforts to keep the Scheduled Castes close to the party in the district and the State. The CPM MLA from Mananthavady, a reserved seat, belongs to the Kurichya community. He was elected as the district secretariat member in the recently concluded CPM Wayanad district meet.

He is the chairman of the Legislature Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Scheduled Tribes and member of the Board of Management of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University.

Kelu has been active as a people's representative for more than two decades. Started as a gram panchayat member in 2000 from Edayoorkunnu Ward of Tirunelli Grama Panchayat, he became the president of Tirunelli Grama Panchayat later for 10 consecutive years in 2005 and 2010. He became the member of Mananthavady Block Panchayat from Tirunelli Division in 2015.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, he won Mananthavady seat, defeating then minister P K Jayalakshmi. He was re-elected from Mananthavady in the 2021 Assembly elections while working as a member of the CPM Wayanad district committee.

His wife is Shanta. Children are Mithuna and Bhavana.