New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday appointed Deepak Mhaskey, a 58-year-old leader from Chhattisgarh, as its new national social media convenor, replacing longtime digital strategist Amit Malviya.

Mhaskey, who is from Raipur, brings a mix of political, academic, agricultural and electoral-data experience to the role. He has around 15 years of experience in the BJP's IT and social media operations and has worked on social media campaigns during assembly elections in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, according to an Indian Express report.

Before becoming a full-time political functionary, Mhaskey reportedly worked as a Chemistry professor. He holds an M.Sc. in Chemistry and has also studied cement technolog...