Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Kannada: ರಾಜೀವ್ ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಕರ್; born 31 May 1964) is an Indian politician currently serving a second term as an independent member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He represents Karnataka and Bangalore Urban Constituency, and is an established entrepreneur. Rajeev is the founder and chairman of Jupiter Capital, a financial services and investment company, and founder of BPL Mobile, a major mobile phone service provider in India.

Early life and career

Rajeev was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to Indian Air Force Officer, Air Commodore M. K. Chandrasekhar and Mrs. Valli Chandrasekhar. He went to various schools across India, and began studying electrical engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology in 1981, leaving briefly to work for Softech, a start-up IT firm. He completed a Masters in Computer Science in 1985 from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. Rajeev then worked for Intel before returning to India to get married in 1991.

Entrepreneur

In 1994, Rajeev founded BPL Mobile, which became a major mobile phone service provider, valued at US$1.1 billion in 2005, when Rajeev entered politics. Rajeev founded Jupiter Capital in 2005, with an initial investment of US$100 million, and currently has investments and managed assets of over US$800 million in technology, media, hospitality and entertainment. In April 2013, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, for his work as an entrepreneur.

Member of Parliament

In April 2012, he was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha for a second six year term as an Independent Parliamentarian representing Karnataka. He has advocated for governance reforms, institution building, Internet freedom, national security, welfare of the Armed Forces Personnel and sustainable city building of Bangalore and Karnataka.

He served as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) –India’s apex industry chamber in 2007. He initiated a series of seminars on Governance reforms including a Conference on Administrative Reforms and Ethics in Governance which brought the Government and industry together. As a supporter of Internet freedom. he has been vocal against government’s recent proposal to the UN for control of the Internet through a 50-member, inter-governmental body.

Positions held

• Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jupiter Capital Pvt. Ltd.
• Founder and Principal Donor – Flags of Honour Foundation
• Founder and Managing Trustee – RC Foundation (RCF)
• Chairman, National Military Memorial

Personal life

Rajeev is married to Anju Chandrasekhar, daughter of BPL Group patriarch TPG Nambiar. They have a son, Ved, and a daughter Devika.

External links

• Official website
• Profile on Rajya Sabha website