Political career
Arlekar has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since his childhood. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1989. He has been an active member of the Goa BJP since the 1980s. He has held various positions which include the following: General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa Pradesh. Chairman, Goa Industrial Development Corporation. Chairman, Goa State Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation. General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa. South Goa President, Bharatiya Janata Party. When Manohar Parrikar was roped in as the Union Defence Minister in 2014, Arlekar was considered for the next Chief Minister but the Party chose Laxmikant Parsekar as the next Chief Minister instead. He is credited with making Goa Legislative Assembly paperless, the first state assembly to do so. In 2015 he was appointed the Minister for Environment and Forests during the reshuffling of the cabinet. On 6 July 2021 he was appointed Himachal Pradesh Governor when the incumbent Bandaru Dattatreya was made the governor of Haryana. Arlekar thanked the Party and stated that BJP is a Party where the work of each and every member is recognized.References
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Arlekar, Rajendra 1954 births Living people Speakers of the Goa Legislative Assembly People from Panaji Members of the Goa Legislative Assembly Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Goa Governors of Himachal Pradesh