Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (born 3 October 1967)[1] is an Indian politician from Rajasthan who is currently serving as Union Cabinet Minister in Ministry of Jal Shakti.[2] He is a member of parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representing Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha.[3] Shekhawat is also National General Secretary of the BJP Kisan Morcha, the farmers wing of the Bharatiya Janta Party.[4]
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat | |
---|---|
1st Minister of Jal Shakti | |
Assumed office 31 May 2019 | |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Position Established |
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
Assumed office 16 May 2014 | |
Preceded by | Chandresh Kumari Katoch |
Constituency | Jodhpur |
Personal details | |
Born | Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India | 3 October 1967
Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Spouse(s) | Nonand Kanwar |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Jai Narain Vyas University |
Occupation | Politician |
Early life and education
He was born in Mahroli Village in Shrimadhopur tehsil of Sikar district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. His father, Shankar Singh Shekhawat, was a senior government officer in the public health department and travelled on frequent assignments across the state, so Shekhawat was educated at several different schools. He received a Master of arts and Master of Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.[5]
Career
Shekhawat began his political career in student politics when in 1992 he was elected as president of the Student Union at JNVU University, gaining more votes than any other previous Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad supporter.[5] Before entering electoral politics, Shekhawat also held many positions in many forums and organisations; he was the co-convener of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, the economic wing of the Sangh Parivar and the General Secretary of Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti, an organisation dedicated to strengthening national security by developing border towns and villages. .[6] As General Secretary, he was instrumental in building a second line of defense that consisted of civilians residing near the border area of Rajasthan. He was also instrumental in furthering the impact of civil defence by setting up 40 schools and four hostels along the Indo-Pak border.[7]
He was elected as a member of parliament to the 16th Lok Sabha in 2014, with the highest ever winning margin (4,10,051 votes) from the constituency of Jodhpur. One of his major achievements during his tenure as an MP has been the expansion of the Jodhpur Airport, a demand that had continuously been raised during the last 18 years.
Known for his use of social media, Shekhawat is the most followed Indian politician on Quora.[8] His Quora profile has more than 73,380 followers and his answers on the social media platform have been viewed 6.5 million times.[9] He also served as the Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee, member of the All India Council of Sports (AICS)[5] and member of the Standing Committee on Finance.
Union Minister
On 3 September 2017 he was appointed as Union Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare . He defeated Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan from Jodhpur by a margin of 2.74 lakh votes in 2019 Indian general elections.[10] Shekhawat became the Minister of Jal Shakti on 31 May 2019.[11][12]
References
- "Who is Gajendra Singh Shekhawat?". indianexpress.com. New Delhi: The Indian Express. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Report, TOI. "Cabinet rejig: Meet Modi's formidable force in run-up to 2019 general elections".
- "Constituencywise-All Candidates". Eciresults.nic.in. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- Report, TOI. "BJP Kisan Morcha names office bearers, says will work for farmers". PTI. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- "Cabinet reshuffle: Dedicated party veterans, ex-bureaucrats in Modi's chosen nine - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- "Gajendra Singh Shekhawat". www.ptinews.com/home.aspx. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- India, Press Trust of (3 September 2017). "Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and his contribution". Business Standard India. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- Report, TOI. "On right track". PTI. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- "Profile: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat". Quora. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- "Election results 2019: Modi wave drowns Ashok Gehlot's son in Jodhpur".
- India, Press Trust of (31 May 2019), "Govt forms 'Jal Shakti' Ministry by merging Water Resources and Drinking Water Ministries", Business Standard
- "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019
Lok Sabha | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Chandresh Kumari Katoch |
Member of Parliament for Jodhpur 2014 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by N/A Ministry created by merging Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation |
Minister of Jal Shakti 30 May 2019 - Present |
Incumbent |