| S. Thangavelu | |
| Native Name: | ச தங்கவேலு |
| Birth Date: | 1954 4, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Sankarankoil, Tirunelveli district, Madras State (now Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Residence: | Sankarankoil, Tamil Nadu |
| Office1: | Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha |
| Constituency1: | Tamil Nadu |
| Term Start1: | 2010 |
| Term End1: | 2016 |
| Office2: | Municipality Chairman |
| Constituency2: | Sankarankoil Municipality |
| Term Start2: | 1996 |
| Term End2: | 2006 |
| Office3: | Member of the Legislative Assembly |
| Constituency3: | Sankarankoil |
| Term Start3: | 1989 |
| Term End3: | 1991 |
| Office4: | Minister of Textiles and Urban Development |
| 1Blankname4: | Chief Minister |
| 1Namedata4: | Karunanidhi |
| Term4: | 1989-1991 |
| Constituency4: | Sankarankoil |
| Office5: | Municipality Deputy Chairman |
| Constituency5: | Sankarankoil Municipality |
| Term Start5: | 1989 |
| Term End5: | 1991 |
| Party: | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1980-2011) |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
| Parents: | U. Sangaramoorthy S. Kaliammal |
| Alma Mater: | St. Xavier's College, Tamil Nadu Agriculture And Research Institute |
S. Thangavelu (born April 15, 1954) is an Indian politician and the former Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He was elected from Tamil Nadu representing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Party. He had also served as a cabinet minister to Chief Minister Dr. M. Karunanidhi in 1989-1991 term.[1]
S.Thangavelu was born in 1954 to U. Sangaramoorthy and S. Kaliammal at Sankarankovil in the Tirunelveli District. He had his primary school studies at Gandhi Nagar Municipality School and secondary school studies at Gomathiambal Government Boys High School in Sankarankovil. He went to St. Xavier's College in Palayamkottai for his Pre-University College studies. He studied Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at the reputed Tamil Nadu Agriculture And Research Institute in Madurai.
After graduation, he joined the State Agricultural Department as Agricultural Officer and deputed to Karamikudi of Pudukottai district.
In 1984, he resigned from his job to take part in active politics. He contested his first state assembly election in 1984 in Sankarankovil constituency of Tirunelveli District and lost the election by a narrow margin. On March 3, 1986, he was elected as vice-chairman of Sankarankovil municipality and served till March 3, 1991. In 1989 he contested in the Tamil Nadu state assembly election from Sankarankovil (State Assembly Constituency) and won with a huge margin. Honorable chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. M. Karunanidhi appointed him in his cabinet as Minister for the Hand Loom Department with an additional charge of Minister for Urban Development Department till 1991. During his ministerial years, the Slum Clearance Board, Town Planning Board and the Rent Control Board were under his control. He also served as a chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). On October 25, 1996, he was elected as Sankarankovil Municipality Chairman through a public election and served till October 24, 2001. He was again elected as Sankarankovil Municipality Chairman in 2001 and served till April 14, 2006. On June 10, 2010, he was elected as Raiya Sabha MP (Member Of Parliament) from Tamil Nadu through his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He took his oath on July 26, 2010, in the assembly's first session.[2]
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition Candidate | Opposition Party | Opposition vote percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sankarankoil | DMK | 40.52 | S. Sankaralingam | AIADMK | 54.45 | ||
| 1989 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sankarankoil | DMK | 43.99 | K. Marutha Karuppan | AIADMK | 23.36 | ||
| 1991 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sankarankoil | DMK | 36.56 | V. Gopalakrishnan | AIADMK | 61.88 | ||
| 1996 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sankarankoil | MDMK | 27.64 | C. Karuppasamy | AIADMK | 33.94 | ||
| 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Sankarankoil | DMK | 36.79 | C. Karuppasamy | AIADMK | 40.33 |