Former ISRO chief Madhavan Nair joins BJP

G Madhavan Nair, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

Nair (74) who headed ISRO from 2003 to 2009 is best known for implementing India's first mission to the moon – Chandrayan 1, launched in October 2008. As ISRO chairman he also directed 25 successful missions including INSAT, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

Nair who has been a BJP follower for some time, is one of the accused in Antrix-Devas deal which allegedly caused a loss of Rs 578 crore to the exchequer. He was granted bail by a Delhi court in February.