Ashok Gajapathi Raju Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju
Profession	Politician
Famous for	Being the 20th governor of Goa
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 6" (168 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Telugu Desam Party
Political Journey	• In 1978, elected as MLA for the first time from Janata Party • In 1982, joined Telugu Desam Party (TDP) • From 1983 to 2004, elected as MLA • In 2014, elected as Lok Sabha member from Vizianagaram) and became Union Minister for Civil Aviation • In 2018 resigned from Union Cabinet over Andhra Pradesh special status issue • In 2025, appointed as Governor of Goa
Personal Life
Date of Birth	26 June 1951 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024)	74 Years
Birthplace	Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh
School	• Hyderabad Public School, Hyderabad • Scindia School, Gwalior • Lovedale School, Ooty
College/University	V.S. Krishna College, Visakhapatnam
Educational Qualification(s)	• Matriculation • Pre-University Course (PUC)
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Rajput
Address	Bungalow No.5, Cantonment, Vizianagaram-535003, Andhra Pradesh
Hobbies	Reading books, gardening
Social Media	• Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	24 May 1973
Family
Wife/Spouse	Pusapati Suneela Devi
Children	Son- None Daughter(s)- 2 • Pusapati Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju (Politician) • Pusapati Vidyavathi Devi
Parents	Father- Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju (Deceased) Politician Mother- Kusuma Gajapathi (Deceased)
Siblings	Brother- Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju (Deaceased) (Politician) Sister- Sunita Devi
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs 3 Crore (as of 2024)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ashok Gajapathi Raju

• Ashok Gajapathi Raju hails from the royal family of the Vizianagaram state of Andhra Pradesh.

• He is the younger son of Maharaja Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, the last Maharaja of Vizianagram.

• Ashok Raju’s family is known for its philanthropic work through its role as hereditary trustees of 108 temples, the largest being the Abode of Lord Varaha Narasimha Swami in Simhachalam.

• His father, Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju, and his brother, Pusapati Ananda Gajapathi Raju, were also Indian parliamentarians and ministers in Andhra Pradesh state government.

• Inspired by the commitment to socialism and a desire to improve the harsh social and economic conditions faced by people, he entered politics in 1977 to serve the community.

• In 1978, at the age of 27, Ashok Raju was first elected as an MLA on a Janata Party ticket.

• In 1979, he played an active role in the movement to create Vizianagaram a separate district in Andhra Pradesh.

• In the 1980s, he was part of a small group that convinced N.T. Rama Rao to establish a regional party, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

• After the foundation of TDP in 1982, he won the state assembly elections six times: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2009. The only year he lost the elections was 2004, but he made a comeback in the 2009 assembly elections.

• Raju served as a minister in the Andhra government led by N.T. Rama Rao, where he held the portfolios for excise and commercial taxes.

• Later, he became a key minister in the TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu’s government, managing important portfolios such as finance, revenue, and legislative affairs.

• Ashok is very close to N. Chandrababu Naidu. He remained loyal to Naidu during the challenging period after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lost the elections in 2004.
  

  Ashok Gajapathi Raju (left) with N. Chandrababu Naidu (right)

• During his time as Finance Minister in Naidu’s cabinet, the state faced financial difficulties. Understanding his responsibilities, Raju returned his official car and other benefits provided by the government to him and his family.

• In 2014, he won the general election for the 16th Lok Sabha, representing Vizianagaram. He defeated the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party candidate with a margin of more than one lakh votes.

• As a TDP Politburo member, Raju has also served as the TDP general secretary from 1989 to 1990.

• He was elected as the Minister of Civil Aviation in the Narendra Modi Cabinet in May 2014. He was the only representative of the TDP in the Modi cabinet.
  

  Ashok Gajapathi Raju (left ) with Narendra Modi (right) and N. Chandrababu Naidu (middle)

• Although he resigned in March 2018 alongside another Union minister from the TDP, Y. Satyanarayana Chowdary, after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked them to step down due to the Centre’s refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh.

• As Civil Aviation Minister, he was one of the few ministers who held a private pilot’s license.

• In 2017, Raju imposed a flying ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad for assaulting an Air India staff member.

• In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Ashok Raju lost his stronghold in Vizianagaram to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate B. Chandra Shekar. After his loss, he decided not to contest in the 2024 elections and took a break from politics.

• Although his elder daughter, Pusapati Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raj, was given a ticket by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to run for the Vizianagaram Assembly constituency in 2024, where she successfully won, becoming a first-time MLA.

• On July 14, 2025, he was appointed as the Governor of Goa, with his swearing-in ceremony scheduled for July 26 2025.

• He officially resigned from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in early July 2025 to accept this position.

• With this appointment, Ashok Gajapathi Raju becomes the second prominent figure from Andhra Pradesh to hold a gubernatorial position in recent times, following Hari Babu from Visakhapatnam, who currently serves as the Governor of Odisha.

• During his political career spanning over 45 years, Ashok is known for his honesty and dedication to the TDP party.

• He has improved the education system in the Vizianagaram district, where he established several governmental and non-governmental educational institutions.

• Ashok serves as the chairman of the Maharaja Alak Narayana Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS), which operates twelve educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh. His family established this organisation in memory of his late father, Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju, who was also known as the Raja Saheb of Vizianagaram.

• As a Minister, Raju was associated with several developmental activities. He is keenly interested in the field of public health and the conservation of water and electricity in Andhra Pradesh. He had also launched various housing, drinking water and health schemes.

• He has also travelled abroad to study town planning and to implement it suitably in Andhra Pradesh.

• Ashok Gajapathi Raju is a former president of the Andhra Cricket Association. His efforts led to the establishment of several training centres for various sports in multiple locations, including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Vizianagaram.