Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been elected as the new Kerala state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The announcement was made on Monday by the party’s central observer Prahlad Joshi during the BJP’s state council meeting.
Chandrasekhar was the sole nominee for the top post and had submitted two sets of nomination papers at the BJP headquarters on Sunday. Prominent party leaders, including outgoing president K Surendran and state in-charge Prakash Javadekar, were present at the event. Surendran formally handed over the party flag to Chandrasekhar on stage.
In his address, Surendran highlighted the unprecedented growth of the BJP in Kerala over the past 10 years. He emphasized that Chandrasekhar’s experience and expertise across various sectors would further accelerate the party’s expansion in the state. Dismissing criticism that Chandrasekhar is not a conventional politician, Surendran expressed confidence in his ability to excel in the new role.
At 60 years old, Chandrasekhar brings two decades of political experience to the position. He has served as Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti. Additionally, he has been a three-term Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka and a BJP national spokesperson. Currently, he also serves as the vice-chairman of the NDA’s Kerala unit.
A familiar figure in Kerala politics, Chandrasekhar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram as the NDA candidate but narrowly lost to Shashi Tharoor of the Congress by 16,077 votes.
Born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to Keralite parents, Chandrasekhar has deep family roots in Thrissur. His father-in-law is TPG Nambiar, the founder of BPL Group.
The election was conducted as K Surendran’s five-year term as Kerala BJP president came to an end.
