Who is Deepak Mhaskey? Chemistry Professor and Data Man Now Steering BJP’s Social Media

Chemistry. Cement technology. Computer programming. Horticulture. Electoral data.

Deepak Mhaskey’s résumé reads like several careers stitched together. It has now carried the former college professor from Chhattisgarh to the centre of the BJP’s formidable digital machinery.

Party president Nitin Nabin has appointed Mhaskey national social media convenor as part of a sweeping organisational reshuffle. The relatively low-profile state leader will now help shape the BJP’s online messaging, beneficiary outreach and digital response as the party prepares for another cycle of high-stakes elections.

Who is Deepak Mhaskey?

Born in 1968, Mhaskey is a Raipur-based BJP organiser with an academic and professional background far removed from the conventional political communications circuit. He reportedly holds an MSc in Chemistry, a diploma in Cement Technology and a certification in computer programming. He began his professional life as a college chemistry professor. He later moved into agriculture, working extensively in horticulture and organic farming, and also spent a brief period in road construction. It was his interest in data, however, that eventually became his political calling card.

What exactly is Deepak Mhaskey’s new BJP role?

Mhaskey has been appointed the BJP’s national social media convenor. The designation is confirmed in the official list released by the BJP, which identifies him as the party’s social media chief and lists Chhattisgarh as his home state. He will be assisted by four national co-convenors: Priti Gandhi from Maharashtra, Shivanand Dwivedi from Delhi, Alok Bhatt from Uttarakhand and Arun Yadav from Haryana. The appointment places Mhaskey in charge of an operation that carries the party’s political message across platforms, counters rival narratives and connects national campaigns with its vast network of state units and grassroots workers.

How did a chemistry professor become a political data strategist?

Mhaskey developed an interest in collecting and analysing large sets of information, particularly electoral data and records related to beneficiaries of government schemes. His official profile with Engineers India Limited describes him as a “passionate worker” in data accumulation and analysis. It says he has worked specifically on nationwide electoral information and beneficiary schemes, with some of his reports used by private and government agencies. The Engineers India Limited profile also credits him with more than 36 years of experience across teaching, agriculture, construction, social initiatives and data analysis. That combination could explain the BJP’s choice. Modern political messaging is driven by more than viral posts and hashtags. It relies on identifying audiences, mapping beneficiaries, tracking responses and tailoring campaigns down to regions and voter groups. Mhaskey arrives with experience in precisely that junction between data and outreach.

What roles has he held inside the BJP?

Mhaskey’s association with the BJP’s digital organisation in Chhattisgarh dates back to 2009, according to his professional profile cited by Hindustan Times. He has headed the party’s state IT Cell, worked as a BJP spokesperson in Chhattisgarh and serves as a permanent invitee to the party’s state unit. The national appointment therefore represents a major elevation for an organiser who spent years working behind the scenes rather than building a high-decibel public profile.

What other positions has Mhaskey held?

Mhaskey is chairman of the Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation Limited, the state entity responsible for procuring and distributing medicines, medical equipment and other healthcare supplies. The CGMSC website lists him as chairman with the rank of minister of state. He has also served as a non-official independent director on the board of Engineers India Limited, the public-sector engineering consultancy under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Is he replacing Amit Malviya as BJP IT Cell chief?

Several reports have described Mhaskey as Amit Malviya’s replacement at the head of the BJP IT Cell. Malviya also congratulated Mhaskey for taking over as head of the party’s social media department after leading its digital operations for more than a decade. The BJP’s official document, however, appoints Mhaskey specifically as Social Media Convenor. It does not describe him as national IT Cell chief. The two titles should not be treated as interchangeable unless the party formally clarifies that Mhaskey will hold both responsibilities. What is clear is that he takes charge of the BJP’s national social media operation, while Anil Baluni continues as media convenor.

What has Mhaskey said about his digital strategy?

After his appointment, Mhaskey made the party’s immediate priority bluntly clear: win elections in order to govern. He said the social media team would focus on answering what the BJP considers propaganda with sustained communication, arguing that misleading narratives could create a temporary atmosphere but would lose force if consistently challenged with facts. That first statement offers a glimpse of the strategy he is likely to pursue: relentless rebuttal, data-backed messaging and close coordination with the party’s election machinery. The chemistry professor is now walking into a far more combustible laboratory. This time, the elements are elections, algorithms and public opinion.

(With inputs from ANI)