Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar submits sole nomination for Kerala BJP chief's post

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar has submitted his nomination for the post of Kerala BJP state chief and is set to be elected unopposed.

The party’s state returning officer, Narayanan Namboodiri, issued the election notification. Nominations were open until 3 p.m. on Sunday, with scrutiny scheduled for 4 p.m. on the same day and Chandrasekhar was the only one to file his nomination.

The official announcement is expected on Monday in the presence of Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, who is also the BJP’s in charge of Kerala.

Speculation had been rife that the BJP might extend the tenure of the current state president, K. Surendran, despite the completion of his five-year term, especially in light of the upcoming local body and Assembly elections.

Other senior leaders, including M.T. Ramesh and Sobha Surendran, were also under consideration in the run-up to the leadership decision. However, Chandrasekhar’s emergence as the frontrunner follows his high-profile contest against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram.

Although he narrowly lost by a margin of 16,077 votes, he significantly improved the BJP’s performance in the constituency, securing 35.52 per cent of the vote share — the highest ever for the party in the seat, surpassing the previous record of 32.32 per cent set by O. Rajagopal.

The BJP’s central leadership is betting on Chandrasekhar’s appeal among the youth and his focus on development to strengthen the party’s prospects in Kerala, especially with local elections on the horizon.

However, his appointment is not without challenges. Within BJP and RSS circles, concerns have been raised over Chandrasekhar’s perceived disconnect with the party’s grassroots network in Kerala.

Unlike many in the state BJP leadership, Chandrasekhar does not come from an RSS background — a key influence in the party’s organisational structure in Kerala, where the RSS’s ground-level cadre plays a crucial role in mobilisation and decision-making.

Though originally hailing from Kerala, Chandrasekhar has spent most of his life and political career in Karnataka, having served three terms in the Rajya Sabha from that state.

His limited fluency in Malayalam and lack of long-standing engagement with Kerala’s socio-political environment could pose hurdles as he assumes leadership in the state.

A senior BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Chandrasekhar would need to work hard to overcome the "outsider" perception and build trust within the state unit.

Outgoing BJP state President Surendran, while addressing the media, confirmed that he was not expecting a second term and expressed confidence in Chandrasekhar’s leadership.

"Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an apt choice for the post," he said.

He also reassured other senior leaders, including state Vice President Sobha Surendran and General Secretary Ramesh, saying that they could be considered for significant roles in the future.