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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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt's wife Shwetambari Bhatt in a multi-crore rupees cheating case.
The top court also sought responses of Rajasthan Police and complainant Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre and a resident of Udaipur, by February 18 and said it may consider a day after the bail plea of filmmaker Vikram Bhatt.
Murdia alleged in his complaint that Bhatt and his wife induced him to invest over Rs 30 crore in a biopic of his late wife, promising high returns.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Bhatts, and ordered forthwith release of Shwetambari Bhatt from Udaipur jail.
The bench asked the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Udaipur to pass the bail order delineating the terms and conditions for her release.
The top court also issued notices to complainant Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre and a resident of Udaipur, and the Rajasthan government for February 19.
Rohatgi said the director and his wife and others have been put behind bars.
"It is not so simple... Rs 30 crore fraud," the counsel for the state government said.
"But, you cannot use these cases to recover money," the bench said, adding that the complainant be also made a party to the petition.
"Unfortunately, they (petitioners) have not sought quashing of the FIR… How Rajasthan has been chosen? Very unfortunate," the bench said.
On January 31, the Rajasthan High Court rejected their bail applications in the cheating case.
The two have been in jail since December 7, 2025, when they were arrested in Mumbai and brought to Udaipur.
While rejecting their bail, the high court observed that granting bail to the accused at this stage would not be appropriate.
Vikram Bhatt was arrested after Murdia filed a complaint of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the filmmaker, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt and others, alleging that funds taken in the name of a film project were misappropriated.
The complaint has alleged that funds to the tune of Rs 30 crore were misappropriated. The complaint alleged that the Bhatts prepared fake bills under various names and got money transferred from the complainant.
The money was supposed to be for making films for the complainant, but was allegedly deposited into the accused's own accounts and used by them.
Apart from Vikram and his wife, Udaipur-based Dinesh Kataria and Bhatt's manager, Mehboob Ansari, were also arrested by Rajasthan Police on December 7, 2025.
