Ex-Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar elected as new Kerala BJP president
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was elected as the new president of Kerala state unit of the BJP on Monday.
The party's central observer Prahlad Joshi made the announcement during the BJP's state council meeting held here.
Chandrasekhar was the sole nominee for the top post and the leader filed two sets of nomination papers for the position at the BJP headquarters here on Sunday.
During the time of the announcement, all prominent state leaders of the BJP including outgoing president K Surendran and state in charge Prakash Javadekar, were present.
Surendran handed over the party flag to Chandrasekhar on the stage.
During his address, Surendran said the BJP has witnessed unprecedented growth in Kerala in the past 10 years.
Stating that Chandrasekhar was elected to the top post by all party leaders unanimously, he said the leader's experience and expertise in various sectors would accelerate the growth of the BJP in the state.
The former president also rejected criticism from some quarters that Chandrasekhar is not a regular politician and said he could shine in his new role.
At 60, Chandrasekhar brings two decades of political experience to the role. He has served as a Union Minister of State for the departments of Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti.
He served as Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka for three terms and as the BJP's national spokesperson. He is the vice-chairman of the NDA's Kerala unit.
A familiar face in Kerala, Chandrasekhar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram as the NDA candidate but lost to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor by 16,077 votes.
Born to Keralite parents in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Chandrasekhar has family roots in Thrissur.
His father-in-law is TPG Nambiar, the founder of the BPL Group.
The election was held as K Surendran completes his five-year term as state president.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
