Brijesh Chowta
{{Short description|Indian politician and Ex Captain of Indian Army}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Captain Brijesh Chowta
| alma_mater = St Aloysius College
Officers Training Academy
Indian Institute of Management Indore
| office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
| constituency = Dakshina Kannada
| predecessor = Nalin Kumar Kateel
| successor =
| term_start = 4 June 2024
| term_end =
| party = Bharatiya Janata Party
| profession = Politician
| nationality = Indian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|08|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
|parents = Sesanna Chowta, Pushpa Chowta
}}
Captain Brijesh Chowta is an Indian politician and the Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.{{Cite web |title=Election Commission of India |url=https://results.eci.gov.in/PcResultGenJune2024/candidateswise-S0415.htm |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=results.eci.gov.in |publisher=Election Commission of India}}{{Cite web |date=4 June 2024 |title=Brijesh Chowta, Bharatiya Janata Party Representative for Dakshina Kannada |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections/karnataka/dakshina-kannada/candidateshow/brijesh-chowta-2246 |website=times of India}} He is a Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party{{Cite news |last=Bureau |first=The Hindu |date=4 June 2024 |title=My commitment is to Hindutva; priority is for development, says Captain Chowta |newspaper=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/my-commitment-is-to-hindutva-priority-is-for-development-says-captain-chowta/article68251569.ece |via=www.thehindu.com}} assumed office on 4 June 2024.
He has been serving as the secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka since December 2023.
Born and raised in Mangaluru, Chowta graduated from St.Aloysius College, Mangaluru in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science.
After passing out from the Officer Training Academy, he was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of 8th Gorkha Rifles. And served in the Indian army from 2003 to 2010. During this stint, Chowta served in the counter-insurgency operations in Manipur and Assam respectively.
He then returned to Mangaluru and began his entrepreneurial and political journey joining the BJP in 2013.
Early life and education
Captain Brijesh Chowta was born to Sesanna Chowta, now a retired agriculturist and Pushpa Chowta, a homemaker in Mangaluru. He completed his schooling at Milagres School and went on to complete his Pre-university college and bachelor's degree from St. Aloysius College,{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/st_aloysius_mangaluru/p/C71HOHfP0w9/?hl=en |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.instagram.com}} Mangaluru. It is his association with the National Cadet Corps(NCC){{Cite web |title=Mangaluru: Captain Brijesh Chowta appointed BJP state secretary |url=https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1152265 |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.daijiworld.com |language=en}} as part of which he also attended the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi that nudged him to join the Indian Army.
Post his stint in the army, he pursued the Executive Business Management program at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore.
Army Days
Captain Brijesh Chowta appeared for the CDS examination and joined the OTA Chennai and went on to be commissioned into 7th Battalion of the 8th Gorkha Rifles, where he served until 2010. From 2003 to 2010, he served in various regions across the North and North Eastern parts of India and was part of Counter Insurgency Operations in Assam and Manipur. Having undergone jungle warfare and counter-insurgency training from CIJW School, Vairengte, Mizoram and Commando training at Infantry School, Belgaum he was also part of the elite Ghatak team, and served as an Adjutant to his battalion.
Political career
In Following the 2024 Indian general election, Brijesh Chowta wins from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency seat by defeating Padmaraj R Poojari (INC) by a margin of 1,49,208 votes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha/story/dakshina-kannada-karnataka-lok-sabha-election-results-2024-live-updates-clse-2547739-2024-06-04|title=Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 Highlights: BJP Wins by 149208 Votes|date=4 June 2024|website=India Today}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/elections/lok-sabha-election-candidates-2024/captain-brijesh-chowta-10017-1|title=Captain Brijesh Chowta , BJP Election Results LIVE: Latest Updates On Captain Brijesh Chowta , Lok Sabha Constituency Seat - NDTV.com|website=www.ndtv.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/elections/dakshina-kannada-election-result-2024-live-updates-highlights-lok-sabha-winner-loser-leading-trailing-mp-margin-8917633.html|title=Dakshina Kannada Election Result 2024 LIVE Updates Highlights: Lok Sabha Winner, Loser, Leading, Trailing, MP, Margin|date=4 June 2024|website=News18}}{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/elections/dakshina-kannada-lok-sabha-election-results/|title=Dakshina kannada Lok Sabha Election 2024: Get Latest News Updates of Dakshina kannada Lok Sabha Constituency for General Election 2024|website=The Indian Express}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.aajtak.in/elections/lok-sabha-election-2024/karnataka/dakshina-kannada-constituency-result-10517|title=Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Election 2024: Dakshina Kannada Election Candidates List, Election Date, Chunav Results, Vote Share News in Hindi | दक्षिण कन्नड़ लोकसभा चुनाव परिणाम 2024 - AajTak|website=Aaj Tak|language=hi}}
Captain Brijesh Chowta completed his short service commission and returned to Mangaluru and joined the Bharatiya Janata party and served as the District General Secretary of Yuva Morcha from 2013 - 2016, District BJP General Secretary, the Dakshina Kannada from 2016 to 2019 and Member of the BJP District Executive Committee Member from 2019 to 2023.
In the last decade, he has also been deputed by the party on election duty in various states like Karnataka (2013, 2018), Maharashtra (2014), Kerala (2016) and the parliamentary election (2014,2019). In 2023, he was appointed the State Co-Convenor for Yuva Samvada.
During the 2023 Karnataka state elections, Captain Brijesh Chowta was the election in-charge{{Cite web |last=PLUS |first=UDUPI NEWS |date=2024-03-20 |title=ಮಂಗಳೂರು : ಕ್ಯಾಪ್ಟನ್ ಬೃಜೇಶ್ ಚೌಟ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕನ್ನಡ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿ |url=https://udupinewsplus.com/?p=7916 |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=ಉಡುಪಿ ನ್ಯೂಸ್ ಪ್ಲಸ್ |language=en-US}} for Byndoor constituency.
Since December 2023, when he was appointed,{{Cite web |title=Capt. Brijesh Chowta appointed State BJP Secretary |url=https://www.mangaloretoday.com/main/Capt-Brijesh-Chowta-appointed-State-BJP-Secretary.html |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mangaloretoday.com}} he serves as secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka state unit.
He was chosen as the BJP candidate by the BJP to represent Dakshina Kannada Loksabha constituency replacing incumbent{{Cite news |date=2024-03-14 |title=Army veteran gets BJP ticket from DK |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/army-veteran-gets-bjp-ticket-from-dk-mangaluru-a-meta-title-for-seo/articleshow/108477235.cms |access-date=2024-06-25 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} Nalin Kumar Kateel.
In the recently concluded Loksabha elections of 2024, he won with a margin{{Cite news |date=2024-06-05 |title=Three decades on, DK's saffron bastion impregnable |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/bjp-continues-its-hold-in-dakshina-kannada-lok-sabha-constituency-for-33-years-with-victory-of-capt-brijesh-chowta/articleshow/110715615.cms |access-date=2024-06-25 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} of 1,49,208 votes securing{{Cite web |last=A |first=Naina J. |title=Lok Sabha Elections 2024 {{!}} BJP retains Dakshina Kannada constituency |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-bjp-retains-dakshina-kannada-constituency-3051920 |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}} 7,64,132 ( 53.97%) votes.
Service and social responsibilities
{{Promotional|date=September 2024}}
Captain Brijesh Chowta is the President of Mangaluru Kambala which for the last 7 years has been conducting the rural folk sport of Kambala in Mangalore.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
It was started as he led a team of young minds during the agitation against PETA's efforts to ban the traditional folk sport Kambala. This gained momentum and turned into Mangaluru Kambala which is entirely managed by a volunteer team, and has become an important event in the cultural calendar of coastal Karnataka.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
He also has been a founding trustee{{Cite web |title=Sixth-edition of Mangalore lit fest inaugurated |url=https://www.mangaloretoday.com/main/Sixth-edition-of-Mangalore-lit-fest-inaugurated.html |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mangaloretoday.com}} of the Bharat Foundation which conducts the Mangaluru Litfest – an annual two-day thought festival in Mangaluru since 2019.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
As a Founder Trustee of Samarthan Foundation, he has involved himself in various charitable and philanthropic activities across Dakshina Kannada.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}