Rajeev Chandrasekhar to become BJP Kerala president

Chandrasekhar is the first BJP president in Kerala who is not from a hardcore sangh parivar background. Hence his elevation could help the BJP make inroads into the secular minded voters of Kerala apart from projecting development agenda with his technocrat profile.

Thiruvananthapuram: Entrepreneur-turned-politician Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be the state president of the BJP in Kerala, replacing K Surendran.

A formal announcement will be made by Monday. BJP Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar suggested Chandrasekhar's name at the party core committee meeting on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram.

Chandrasekhar was among the probables to the post as Surendran completed five years as state president. Senior leaders from the state Shobha Surendran, and M T Ramesh were the other front runners.

It seems that the party national leadership seems to have zeroed in on Chandrasekhar as the appointment of Ramesh or Sobha or further extension to Surendran could aggravate infighting in the party that too at a time when the local body polls and Assembly polls are approaching.

The national leadership also seems to have sent a strong message to the state leadership against infighting by appointing Chandrasekhar as state president, despite the fact that he entered Kerala politics only last year.

Impressive performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Thiruvananthapuram and the elite profile are factors that favoured Chandrasekhar. He is also the first BJP president in Kerala who is not from a hardcore sangh parivar background.

Hence his elevation could help the BJP make inroads into the secular minded voters of Kerala apart from projecting development agenda with his technocrat profile. Rajeev's entry could also help the BJP attract more youngsters and professionals to the party.

Sixty-year-old Chandrasekhar, who is a three time Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka and a former minister of state for electronics and IT, had already taken steps to establish his base in Thiruvananthapuram. Recently he purchased a house in the city. Since then there was strong speculation that he could emerge as the next state president of BJP. Chandrasekhar is also actively intervening in the key issues in the state, including the ongoing indefinite stir by ASHA workers.

Chandrasekhar, who lost to Congress's Shashi Tharoor by 16,077 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Thiruvananthapuram, is also learnt to be quite determined to win the seat in the next election.

Ahead of Chandrasekhar's entry into the electoral fray in Thiruvananthapuram, his supporters had unleashed a massive social media campaign highlighting his profile, especially the launch of BPL mobile, and his Kerala roots. His parents are Malayalis and he has his family roots in Thrissur.

Chandrasekhar's appointment could be also considered as a move similar to the elevation of IPS officer turned politician K Annamalai as BJP state president in Tamil Nadu. In both the south Indian states the BJP is yet to make any major impact in electoral politics.