Chandrasekhar says he will continue to support and work for BJP

Chandrasekhar says he will continue to support and work for BJP

Chandrasekhar says he will continue to support and work for BJP

Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says he is ending his “18 year stint of public service” and said he will continue to support and work for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Chandrasekhar’s surprise announcement came days after he was humbled by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the Lok Sabha elections from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, constituency.

“Today curtains down on my 18 year stint of public service , of which 3 years I had the privilege to serve with PM Narendra Modi ji's TeamModi2.0,” he said in a Facebook post.

“I certainly didn’t intend to end my 18 years of public service, as a candidate who lost an Election,but thats how its turned out,” he added in a lighter vein.

Chandrasekhar, who was the Electronics and Information Technology minister in the previous Modi government, failed to unseat Tharoor in  Thiruvananthapuram even as the BJP made considerable inroads in the constituency. Tharoor won the polls by 16,077 votes.

“My deepest thanks to all those I met,  all those who supported me - and in particular all those karyakartas and leaders who so inspired and energized me. Thanks also to my colleagues in govt over last 3 years. As a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) karyakarta, I will continue to support and work in party,” Chandrasekhar said in his post.

Tharoor was quick to respond to the BJP leader’s post, saying there is much more he can contribute to the country through public service.

“As someone who discussed various issues with you during your stint in government, I have no doubt that there is much more you can contribute to our country through public service, @RajeevRC_X . Elective office is only one path (and you are young enough to have another crack at that too!) All the best for the future,” the Congress leader posted on X.