Successful Indian CEO's who entered Politics and became Member of Parliament
To be a successful businessman, one needs strong leadership ability, quick decision-making,
interpersonal skills and a good understanding of the environment. Being wealthy,
it is also expected that they would be less corrupt unlike politicians, who have
to often use their position to fund the next elections for their party and themselves.
Here are such Indian CEO's who entered Politics and became Member of Parliament
in Rajya Sabha.
- 1. Vijay Mallya: The 55-year-old Chairman of the United Breweries Group and
Kingfisher Airlines, Vijay Mallya entered politics in 2000 as a member of the Janata
Party. He took the reins as chairman of the UB Group in 1983 and since then, the
group has grown into a multi-national conglomerate of over 60 companies. The focal
business areas of the group encompass Beverage Alcohol, Life Sciences, Engineering,
Agriculture and Chemicals.
Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian company to purchase the much famed Airbus
A-380. He also co-owns the Formula One team Force India, the Indian Premier League
team Bangalore Royal Challengers, and the I-League team East Bengal FC. Vijay Mallya
was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2002 and again in 2010 as an Independent MP representing
his home state of Karnataka. During his first term in Parliament, he served on the
Parliamentary committees on Civil Aviation, Defense and Industry.
- 2. Rajeev Chandrasekhar:
Rajeev Chandrasekhar is a businessman and presently serves
as an Independent member of the Parliament of India representing Karnataka and Bangalore
Urban in the Rajya Sabha.
He is the Founder and Managing Trustee of RC Foundation which is mainly focused
on programmes aimed at primary education for poor children and has been at the forefront
of raising finances and resources for important causes like support for Tsunami
affected people, Kargil war and defense personnel, training of tribal's in Kalahandi
region of Orissa and rehabilitation of children impacted by the tragic burning of
school in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
In 2006, a year after exiting his telecom venture BPL Mobile, Chandrasekhar was
elected as an independent MP from Karnataka, with support from both the BJP and
the Janata Dal (Secular), which was in an alliance back then in the state.
- 3. Rajkumar Dhoot:
Rajkumar
Dhoot is Shiv Sena-nominated member of the Rajya Sabha representing Maharashtra.
He is the CEO of Datacom Solutions. The 54 year old is the brother of Venugopal
Dhoot, chairman of Videocon Industries. Datacom Solutions, is a subsidiary of consumer
durables major Videocon Industries, which received telecom licenses to begin pan-India
operations.
He promotes education especially among girls by running a Girls High School at Gangapur
for 1100 girls of First to Tenth Standard and running a multi-specialty charitable
hospital, namely 'Nandlal Dhoot Charitable Hospital' at Aurangabad with an investment
of 100 crores, providing only second cobalt 60 facilities for cancer and Cardiac
Care Centre and allied treatment and took up construction of roads in the region.
- 4. Rahul Bajaj:
Rahul Bajaj, chairman of the Bajaj Group, is a Rajya Sabha
member. He has the support of the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the
Nationalist Congress Party.
In June 2006, Bajaj was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra. The 71 year
old took over control of the Bajaj Group in 1965. Under his leadership, the company
made great progress. The Bajaj Group finds a place among the top Indian corporate.
Its business spans over a wide range of industries, automobiles, home appliances,
lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. He was awarded the third
highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2001.
- 5. Rajeev Shukla:
Rajeev Shukla,
a Rajya Sabha member, serves as the secretary of the All India Congress Committee.
He is also the founder and director of BAG Films Limited.
Before beginning his political innings, Shukla was a reporter for the Jansatta,
a Hindi daily newspaper. He has been a Rajya Sabha member since 2000 representing
Maharashtra. Shukla is the also the vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) and manager of the Indian National Cricket Team.
He is lauded for his leadership qualities and his cool and calm demeanor. As Member
of Parliament, his work has been appreciated across parties. Rajeev Shukla is a
rare political leader whose friendly demeanor and calm composed attitude is a refreshing
change from the mundane image of the political scenario in India.
Courtesy: SiliconIndia
