Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
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Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (born October 23, 1923) is the Vice-President of India. He has served in that position since August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kant. Shekhawat was a member of the National Democratic Alliance at the time of election. He has served as the chief minister of Rajasthan three times, from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998.
He is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha
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[edit] Personal life
His father's name was Shri Devi Singh Shekhawat and his mother was Shrimati Banne Kanwar. He was born in the village of Khachariawas, in the district of Sikar in Rajasthan. He is married to Shrimati Suraj Kanwar and they have one daughter Shrimati Ratan Kanwar who married Shri Narpat Singh Rajvi, who is a minister in Rajasthan. They have three offsprings, daughter Mumal Rajvi, sons Vickramaditya Singh Rajvi and Abhimanyu Singh Rajvi.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat completed high school but was unable to complete college due to his father's untimely death. He had to support his family. He worked as a farmer and an officer sub-inspector in the police before turning to politics.
His website lists his favorite pastimes as reading, interacting with people, and extensively touring the State and other parts of the country.
[edit] Positions Held:
1952-72 Member, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
1974-77 Member, Rajya Sabha (Madhya Pradesh)
1977-2002 Member, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
22 June 1977 - 16 Feb. 1980 Chief Minister of Rajasthan
1980-90 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
4 March 1990 - 15 Dec. 1992 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (second term)
4 Dec. 1993 - 29 Nov. 1998 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (third term)
Dec. 1998 - Aug. 2002 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
19 Aug. 2002 onwards Vice-President of India and ex officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
[edit] Political Life
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is the oldest anti congress leader alive in India. The performance of his party, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in the state of rajasthan under his leadership has always been above everyones thinkings. Till 1977,the Indian National Congress won all the states in India easily leaving Rajasthan. Shekhawat always posed to be a threat to the congress in Rajasthan. In the year 1967, the BJS-Swatantra Party alliance reached the majority but couldn't form a government due to some reasons. But in the janta wave in the year 1977, Shekhawat led his party to such an extent that the congress has not been able to cross the percentage of seats than that of the Janta Party in the 1977 elections. After the split in the year 1980, Shekhawat decided to join the Bhartiya Janta Party with a host of his supporters. The congress won the 1980 elections due to the split.During the Indira wave in 1984, there were no signs left of the bjp, leaving Rajasthan aside. The congress managed to win 114 out of the 200 seats in rajasthan. The opposition was divided, otherwise Shekhawat could have made a history. But he did make history later on, in the 1989 elections when the BJP-Janta Dal alliance won all the 25 seats in the lok sabha from rajasthan and won 140 seats in the assembly polls that followed. Shekhawat was once again the new chief minister of rajasthan. In the next elections, after the split in the alliance, shekhawat managed the BJP to be the single largest party wining 96 seats. The three independents supporters of the bjp won the elections making the tally 99. Many independents supported shekhawat making his final tally 116. Congress did its best for stopping Shekhawat to form his government. The then governor was persuaded as well. But due to the fullest possible support of independents like Narendra Kanwar,Gurjant Singh,Rohitashva Kumar, Devi Singh Bhati etc., and of course the masses, even the governor could not stop shekhawat to form his government. In the next elections, in the year 1998, shekhawat government lost due to the onion price rise issue. But the able leadership couldn't stop the BJP from returning in the lok sabha elections in 1999, just one year after the assembly polls, when it got 16 out of the 25 seats in the lok sabha. Getting 11 seats more than what it got in the 1998 lok sabha elections.Shekhawat became the most popular leader in Rajasthan and posed to be a threat to the congress like never before. He was then elected the Vice President of India in the year 2002, when he defeated the opposition candidate by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled. All the tactics that the congress had tried, failed pathetically and for the first time, an anti congress person was elected the Vice President of the country. Now, Shekhawat has also emerged to be the favourite Presidential candidate in India. Will he make history again by being the first anti-congress President of India.
| Preceded by: Krishan Kant | Vice President of India August 19, 2002-Present | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
