Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Rajeev Chandrasekhar | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1964 Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, politician |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Founder of Jupiter Capital; Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jal Shakti; BJP state president in Kerala |
| Notable work | Member of Rajya Sabha (2006–2024) |
Rajeev Chandrasekhar (born 31 May 1964) is an Indian businessman and politician, currently holding the position of state president for the BJP in Kerala. He has previously served as Minister of State overseeing the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as well as Jal Shakti. Representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha from 2006 until 2024, he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Following an electoral defeat in Thiruvananthapuram, he was excluded from the ministerial team in the newly formed National Democratic Alliance coalition.
Chandrasekhar has occupied significant positions such as national spokesperson and vice-chairman for the BJP-led NDA in Kerala. His legislative tenure includes involvement in key parliamentary committees like the Standing Committees on Finance and Defence, Public Accounts Committee, Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, and consultative committees related to External Affairs, Information Technology, and Communications. Additionally, he played a role in select committees addressing GST and Real Estate laws.
Apart from his political engagements, Chandrasekhar is the founder and advisor of Jupiter Capital Pvt. Ltd., highlighting his entrepreneurial pursuits alongside his governmental responsibilities.
Early life and education
Rajeev Chandrasekhar was born into a Malayali Nair family in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His father, M. K. Chandrasekharan, served as an Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force and was a trainer to Rajesh Pilot. The family traces its roots to Desamangalam in Thrissur district, Kerala.
His schooling took place at St. Paul's Convent School in Thrissur followed by Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bengaluru. He obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology and later completed a master's degree in computer science at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1988. Upon graduation, Vinod Dham recruited him to Intel, where from 1988 to 1991 he contributed to the architectural design team for the i486 microprocessor. Chandrasekhar also attended an advanced management program at Harvard University.
Entrepreneur
Returning to India in 1991, Chandrasekhar joined BPL Group, his father-in-law’s enterprise, and established BPL Mobile in 1994—a prominent telecom operator holding licenses including Mumbai. In July 2005, he divested his 64% shareholding in BPL Communications to Essar Group for approximately US$1.1 billion.
In 2005, he launched Jupiter Capital with an initial capital infusion of US$100 million. This investment firm currently oversees assets exceeding US$800 million across sectors such as technology, media, hospitality, and entertainment.
In recognition of his business achievements, Visvesvaraya Technological University awarded him an honorary doctorate in April 2013.
As per his 2018 affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India, Chandrasekhar’s declared annual income stands at ₹28 crores with family assets estimated at ₹65 crores. He holds equity stakes in six unlisted companies including Vectra Consultancy Services and Jupiter Global Infrastructure, and maintains indirect ownership interests in entities like Axiscade Engineering Technologies, Mistral Solutions, Assystem Axiscades, and Hindustan Infrastructure Projects & Engineering Pvt Ltd.
Media
Chandrasekhar ventured into the media industry in late 2006 by investing in Asianet Communications through his company Jupiter Capital Private Limited. By the end of 2008, he collaborated with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to establish a joint enterprise named Asianet Star Communications. In May 2008, he founded Asianet News Online Private Ltd. (ANOPL), which manages media properties such as Asianet News, Asianet Suvarna News, and the digital platform Newsable.
In 2016, ANOPL committed close to ₹60 crore to ARG Outlier Media, the parent company of Republic TV. After Chandrasekhar secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha as a Bharatiya Janata Party representative in 2018, ANOPL scaled back its ownership in Republic TV by May 2019.
Politics
During the tenure of the Second Modi ministry, Chandrasekhar was appointed Minister of State in July 2021, with responsibilities spanning the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. Earlier, he served as a national spokesperson for the BJP. He contested as the BJP nominee for the Trivandrum constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, where he was defeated by the sitting MP Shashi Tharoor by a margin of 16,077 votes.
Member of Parliament
Chandrasekhar represented Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member from April 2006 until April 2018. Subsequently, in April 2018, he secured a third six-year term as a BJP member from Karnataka.
Personal life
Rajeev is married to Anju Chandrasekhar (married in 1991), who is the daughter of T. P. G. Nambiar, founder of the BPL Group. The couple has two children named Ved and Devika. He is the son of Anandavalli Amma and M. K. Chandrasekhar.
Awards and accolades
- Received commendation from the Army's Western Command GOC for his contributions toward Armed Forces personnel and veterans.
- Positioned at number 41 on India Today magazine’s list of India's 50 Most Powerful People in 2017.
| Year | Award | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | IIT Global Service Award | Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago |