Senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, L. Ganesan, was on Tuesday rewarded by the party leadership with a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh where a by-election is due.
Mr. Ganesan began his journey in politics as a full time pracharak of the RSS in 1970 and held the post of the president of the State unit of the BJP between 2006 and 2009. “I deem it a honour and recognition to my service to the organisation. I am happy because I am being elected to Rajya Sabha at a time when the country is celebrating the centenary of Deendayal Upadhyaya, an eminent leader of the Bharthiya Jana Sangh, a forerunner of the BJP,” said 71-year old Ganesan, who became the State organiser of the BJP in 1991 and also held the post of national vice-president.
A bachelor, Mr Ganesan, who is currently national executive member of the BJP, was offered the post of Governor in the past. But he had reservations about becoming a Governor as he was interested in doing organisational work. Already V. Shanmuganathan, a pracharak from Tamil Nadu, is holding the post of the Governor of Meghalaya.
Interestingly, Mr Ganesan is the second person who will be elected from Madhya Pradesh on a BJP ticket.
Though Mr Ganesan’s family belonged to Maharajapuram, a small hamlet near Mayiladuthurai, it moved to Thanjavur where his father Lakshmi Raghvan launched his business. He was also an agent of a popular Tamil magazine and sold books.
“After my father’s demise I joined the Revenue Department and worked for nine years. In 1970 I became a full timer of the RSS,” said Mr Ganesan, an ardent Carantic music fan, who regularly attended the aradhana of Saint Thiyagaraja in Tiruvaiyaru.
