BENGALURU: Although he joined the BJP only in 2018, Rajeev Chandrasekhar was sure of being inducted into the Union Cabinet in 2019 after the NDA returned to power. But what he missed two years ago, he got on Wednesday when he was inducted as Minister of State in the Modi cabinet. A three-time member of the Rajya Sabha, he was elected twice as an independent from Karnataka before he officially joined the BJP and was elected as its candidate for his third stint in the Upper House.
Chandrasekhar’s appointment is being seen as a recognition of his work for the BJP during the recent Assembly polls in Kerala and Puducherry. He also had a big role in managing the logistics for those who switched to the BJP from the Congress and JDS to bring the BJP to power in Karnataka. A serial entrepreneur and technocrat, Chandrasekhar has big investments in media ventures, NGOs, startups, aviation sector, etc.
While he is a member of various parliamentary committees, Chandrasekhar is also a national spokesperson of the BJP and vice-chairman of the Vivekananda International Foundation that was started by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He had raised issues of 2G spectrum, IT Act, Right to Privacy, and Net neutrality during the UPA regime.