Renowned technocrat Rajeev Chandrasekhar has officially assumed charge as the BJP Kerala president. The announcement was made by Union Minister Prahalad Joshi, who currently holds the portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy.
The formal ceremony, marking a significant transition in the party’s state leadership, was attended by key BJP leaders. Kerala Prabhari Prakash Javadekar, Saha Prabhari Aparajita Sarangi, outgoing president K. Surendran, Union Ministers Suresh Gopi and George Kurien, BJP national secretary Anil Antony, national vice president Abdullakkutty, senior leader P.C. George, and several other state leaders were present at the historic event.
The appointment of Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a leader with a strong background in technology and governance, is seen as a strategic move by the BJP as the state gears up for crucial upcoming elections.Prahald Joshi handed over the Certificate of Election to the new state president. Outgoing president K. Surendran handed over the party flag to Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar submitted his nomination papers on March 23 before the Returning Officer Adv. Narayanan Namboothiri. And, it was the only nomination.
സംഘടന പർവ്വം: ശ്രീ രാജീവ് ചന്ദ്രശേഖർ നാമനിർദ്ദേശ പത്രിക സമർപ്പിച്ചു pic.twitter.com/zj7j8u8E73
— BJP KERALAM (@BJP4Keralam) March 23, 2025
Rajeev Chandrasekhar hails from an Air Force family and is known as a personality who shines in ‘chip and politics’ simultaneously. He enjoys the credit of achieving success and victory in all fields he enters. He entered politics from the Information Technology sector. He has got the political experience of more than two decades.
He contested from the Thriuvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 and lost to Shashi Tharoor only by a narrow margin of 16,077 votes. Even after losing the election he is very much present in the constituency and mingles with the people and taking up the issues they do face. If asked why he is there even after losing the election, his answer is simple – “Am here to see my people, because the elected representative is not seen here”.
The newly elected BJP Kerala president is known as man of versatility – precision of an engineer, entrepreneur’s shrewdness, farsightedness of a statesman, victory in all ventures and activities.
Born in Ahmedabad in 1964, Rajeev Chandrasekhar comes from an Air Force family. His father, Air Commander M.K. Chandrasekhar, served in the Bharatiya Vayu Sena, and his mother, Anandavalli Amma, played a key role in shaping his early years. He graduated from the Manipal Institute of Technology and went on to complete a postgraduate degree in Computer Sciences from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Further honing his expertise, he completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard University.
From 1988 to 1991, Rajeev Chandrasekhar worked as a technocrat overseeing chip processor manufacturing at Intel in the United States. In 1991, he married Anju, daughter of BPL Group Chairman T.P.G. Nambiar, and the same year, he joined BPL. His entrepreneurial journey took off in 1994 when he founded BPL Mobile. In 2005, he established Jupiter Financial Investment Company, further cementing his success in the business world.
His achievements have been widely recognised. In 2013, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, conferred an honorary doctorate upon him. In 2017, India Today ranked him 41st among the most powerful personalities in the country. The Indian Army’s Western Command GOC also felicitated him for his contributions to the Armed Forces and veteran welfare initiatives.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar entered politics in 2006 when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka as a BJP-supported independent. He went on to serve three terms, completing a total of 18 years in the Upper House (2006–2024). From 2021 to 2024, in the second Modi government, he served as Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, and Electronics & Information Technology, where he delivered exemplary performance.
Beyond his ministerial roles, he has been an effective national spokesperson for the BJP and has played a significant role as the vice-chairman of Kerala NDA.
During the event, the Returning Officer also announced the names of the newly elected national council members. With Kerala set to hold Local Self-Government elections in just six months and the state assembly elections scheduled for April 2026, the election of Rajeev Chandrasekhar comes at a crucial time.
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