Vijay Sankeshwar
| Vijay Sankeshwar | |
|---|---|
| Born |
2 August 1950 Gadag, Karnataka |
| Residence | Hubli |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Occupation | Managing Director of VRL Group |
| Relatives | Anand Sankeshwar (Son) |
| Website | Official Website |
Vijay Sankeshwar (Kannada:ವಿಜಯ್ ಸಂಕೇಶ್ವರ ; born 1950) is a politician, publisher[1] and businessman from Gadag, Karnataka. He is the chairman of India's largest logistics firm VRL Group and is also known for being the owner of the largest fleet of commercial vehicles in India.[2]
He left BJP and founded Kannada Nadu Party. Later he joined the Karnataka Janata Paksha of BJP outcast Yeddyurappa; the party eventually merged back with BJP. Vijay Sankeshwar was also a former Member of Parliament from North Dharwad constituency as a BJP member.
Sankeshwar previously owned Karnataka's largest circulating newspaper, Vijaya Karnataka until it was sold to Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. (The Times Group) for an undisclosed sum in 2007. After the expiry of a 5-year non-compete clause he launched Vijaya Vani in 2012.
Education
He completed his Graduation in Commerce and was educated at Adarsh Shikshan Samiti, College of Commerce, Gadag, Karnataka University, Dharwad, Karnataka.
Birth of VRL Group
He founded it in 1976 in Gadag, a small town in North Karnataka, with a single truck and a vision that was way ahead of its time. VRL soon expanded its service to Bengaluru, Hubballi and Belagavi. From this humble beginning VRL has grown into a nationally renowned logistics and transport company that is currently the largest fleet owner in India with a fleet of 3579 Vehicles (Including 488 tourist buses & 3091 Goods Transport Vehicles) as of 28 February 2014. VRL finds mention in the Limca Book of Records as the single largest fleet owner of commercial vehicles in India in the private sector. Over the years VRL has pioneered providing a safe and reliable delivery network in the field of parcel service. It has spread its operations to Courier Service, Express Cargo & Air Chartering to meet the growing demand of the burgeoning customer base.
3PL & Warehousing solutions offered by VRL are tailor-made and cater to the needs of various customers of the industry. With the largest network in India, the VRL parcel service is indispensable for a large number of corporate houses. This network spans the length and breadth of the country and is supported by a large number of transhipment hubs. VRL operates through a network of 859 Branches and franchisees. VRL is now expanding its service to reach even the remotest locations of the Country.
Political career
| Year | Position Held |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Member, B.J.P., Dist. Dharwad, Karnataka (Held various positions at District and State level) |
| 1996 | Elected to 11th Lok Sabha |
| 1996-97 | Member, Committee on Finance and Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Surface Transport |
| 1998 | Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (2nd term) |
| 1998-99 | Transport |
| 1999 | Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (3rd term) |
| 1999-2000 | Member, Committee on Commerce and Member, Committee on Transport and Tourism |