Rajeev Chandrasekhar joins RS race as JD(S)-backed Independent

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who made a fortune by selling BPL Mobile to Essar for around $1billion, is contesting a seat in Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

Chandrasekhar on Thursday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate and is being backed by the Janata Dal(S).

Chandrasekhar , if elected, will be the third industrialist in recent times to enter the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. UB group chairman Vijay Mallya was elected to the upper house as a Janata Dal(U)-backed independent candidate in 2002, while racing baron with diversified business interests M A M Ramaswamy won the elections in 2004 on a JD(S) ticket.

Chandrasekhar, after exiting BPL Mobile, has in the recent past set up Jupiter Capital, a private equity firm with interests in the private FM radio space besides joining the fray in cargo transportation.

After filing his nomination papers Chandrasekhar told reporters that he would use his experience in the field of business to contribute to the development of Karnataka. "If elected, my agenda as a member of Parliament would include promoting issues like public-private-partnership in infrastructure development," Chandrasekhar said.

Though his nomination papers were endorsed by 10 JD(S) MLAs and the BJP has also indicated that it would support his candidature, Chandrasekhar said that as he was an independent candidate he expected support from all political parties.

Apart from Chandrasekhar, the other candidates in the fray are deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, K Rehman Khan of the Congress, former Union minister Rajasekhara Murthy of JD(S), K B Shanappa of the BJP and Sudhakar, an independent candidate.

The biennial elections to the upper house are being held to fill up four vacancies from the state. The three major political parties have already indicated that they will not be fielding more than one candidate for the elections. If no other candidate files his nomination by Friday, which is the last date of filing nominations for these elections, then Chandrasekhar and the three other candidates will be elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.