Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday assumed charge as the president of the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Chandrasekhar took charge as the state unit chief a day after the party announced his appointment.
Assuming charge of the role, Chandrasekhar, who suffered a narrow defeat to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha elections last year, said he would return from Kerala only after bringing the BJP-led NDA to power in the state where BJP has so far struggled to make a mark.
A former Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Chandrasekhar, a technocrat-turned-politician, succeeds K Surendran on the post. Surendran led the Kerala BJP for a tenure of five years. Chandrasekhar's third consecutive term as Rajya Sabha MP ended in April last year.
In the Lok Sabha elections held last year, the BJP managed to win its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in the state and managed to make inroads in assembly segments hitherto dominated by the LDF or the UDF. Rajeev Chandrasekhar's appointment also comes as a strategic move to install a leader with wider acceptability, particularly among Christians and youth.
I am deeply thankful to PM @narendramodi ji, @AmitShah ji, @JPNadda ji, and @BJP4Keralam leadership for trusting me with this important responsibility.Today, as I assume the role of #Kerala BJP President, I do so with a strong sense of purpose. I am committed to guiding our pic.twitter.com/AdIpkgCDcL
Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X) March 24, 2025
"To realise the aim of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have to bring the NDA to power in Kerala. This is my mission and I will return only after accomplishing this mission. I will dedicate my entire time for this mission," Chandrasekhar said while speaking at a party function after taking charge of the state unit.
Senior party leaders including Union Minister Suresh Gopi, party’s Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar, co-in-charge Aparajita Sarangi and Union Minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi were present at the event.
"Kerala should develop and there should be opportunities for all. When Modi assumed office in 2014, the Indian economy was weakest among the nations. Eleven years in, our economy is among the top four. The politics of performance has led to the growth of the country. India has opportunities the country never before had," Chandrasekhar further said, raising an issue he spoke of extensively during his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.
Underlining his party's vision for the state, Chandrasekhar said that Kerala wants change and opportunities. "Kerala wants investment and employment. What we need is a Kerala of opportunities. Our development vision should reach all households in the state. We want to bring changes to Kerala. Our children want jobs and they want a good future. This is our vision," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who had earlier welcomed the BJP's announcement of Chandrasekhar as the party's candidate against him in Thiruvananthapuram, also took the opportunity to congratulate his Lok Sabha rival.
"Congratulations and best wishes to the newly elected Kerala State President of the BJP, Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Looking forward to crossing swords again, he said in a post on X.
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