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Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former minister of IT in Narendra Modi government, was unanimously elected as the new president of the party’s state unit.
Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Chandrasekhar. (File)
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday congratulated former Union Minister and his Lok Sabha rival Rajeev Chandrasekhar on being elected as the new president of Kerala state unit of the BJP.
The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP extended his best wishes saying, “Congratulations and best wishes to the newly elected Kerala State President of the BJP, @RajeevRC. Looking forward to crossing swords again!” in a post on X.
Congratulations and best wishes to the newly elected Kerala State President of the BJP, @RajeevRC_X . Looking forward to crossing swords again!— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 24, 2025
Chandrasekhar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram as the NDA candidate but lost to Tharoor by mere 16,077 votes.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar Elected State BJP Chief
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former minister of IT in Narendra Modi government, was unanimously elected as the new president of the party’s state unit. The party’s central observer Prahlad Joshi made the announcement during the BJP’s state council meeting.
Chandrasekhar, who would replace outgoing president K Surendran, was the sole nominee for the top post and the leader filed two sets of nomination papers for the position at the BJP headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Surendran formally handed over the party flag to Chandrasekhar on stage.
In his address, Surendran said, “The BJP has witnessed unprecedented growth in Kerala in the past 10 years.” He added that Chandrasekhar was elected unanimously and noted, “The leader’s experience and expertise in various sectors would accelerate the growth of the BJP in the state.”
Why BJP Top Brass Backed Him
Chandrasekhar, who narrowly lost last year’s Lok Sabha election from Thiruvananthapuram to Congress’ Shashi Tharoor by just 16,000 votes, impressed party leaders with his strong performance despite joining the race late and having only two months to campaign.
A Nair by caste, Chandrasekhar is expected to solidify upper-caste Hindu votes in the state in the upcoming local body elections and next year’s assembly election, His close ties with prominent Ezhava community leader Vellappally Natesan and his family could further strengthen the BJP’s alliance with the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).
Who Is Rajeev Chandrasekhar?
At 60, Chandrasekhar brings two decades of political experience to the role. He has served as a Union Minister of State for the departments of Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti.
He served as Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka for three terms and as the BJP’s national spokesperson. He is the vice-chairman of the NDA’s Kerala unit.
Born to Keralite parents in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Chandrasekhar has family roots in Thrissur.
(With inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Thiruvananthapuram, India, India
