Rajendra Rathore (born 21 April 1955) is an Indian politician who served as leader of opposition in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. He is a former Member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Churu.[1] He lost 2023 Rajasthan Assembly Elections to senior Jat leader Narendra Budhania of Congress party from Taranagar constituency.[2][3]
Rajendra Rathore | |
|---|---|
 Rathore in 2023 | |
| Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2 April 2023 – 3 December 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Gulab Chand Kataria |
| Succeeded by | Tika Ram Jully |
| Member of Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan | |
| In office 1990–2023 | |
| Succeeded by | Harlal Saharan |
| Constituency | Churu |
| Minister of State Government of Rajasthan | |
| In office 1993–1994 | |
| Minister of PWD Government of Rajasthan | |
| In office 2003–2008 | |
| Succeeded by | Bharat Singh, INC |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Government of Rajasthan | |
| In office 2003–2008 | |
| Succeeded by | Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, INC |
| Minister of Health & Family Welfare Government of Rajasthan | |
| In office 2013–2016 | |
| Succeeded by | Kali Charan Saraf, BJP |
| Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Government of Rajasthan | |
| In office 2016–2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Sachin Pilot, INC |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 April 1955 Harpalsar, Rajasthan, India |
| Spouse | Chand Kanwar |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | 54 Geeta Path, Suraj Nagar West, Civil Lines, Jaipur 302006 |
| Alma mater | University of Rajasthan |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life and education
Rathore was born on 21 April 1955 in Harpalsar village, Sardarshahar, District Churu, Rajasthan. He was born to Uttam Singh Rathore, an RAS officer. He was schooled in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, and then obtained his M.A. in 1980, D.L.L. in 1978, L.L.B. in 1977 at Rajasthan University, Jaipur. He was elected as the president of the Student Union at Rajasthan University in 1979.[citation needed]
He married Chand Kanwar, on 23 February 1978. The couple has a son, Parakram Singh Rathore. [citation needed]
Political career
Rajendra Rathore has been a prominent face of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan, for past 3 decades. He has emerged from numerous crises and has a strong grip on Rajput voters in the state; he enjoys huge popularity in Churu, Rajasthan. For over a decade and a half, Rathore along with the late Dr. Digamber Singh dominated the party in the state, while batting for Vasundhara Raje’s leadership in the state. After, Digamber Singh’s death in 2017, Rathore distanced himself from Raje. And post the 2018 Rajasthan election has appeared as a viable party leader for the state - heading into the 2023 assembly elections.
Membership of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
| Assembly | Tenure | Constituency | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9th | 1990 - 1993 | Churu | Janata Dal | |
| 10th | 1993 - 1998 | Bharatiya Janata Party | ||
| 11th | 1998 - 2003 | |||
| 12th | 2003 - 2008 | |||
| 13th | 2008 - 2013 | Taranagar | ||
| 14th | 2013 - 2018 | Churu | ||
| 15th | 2018 - 2023 | |||
Positions held in Government of Rajasthan
| SI No. | Post | Department or Ministry | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | MLA | Deputy Chief Whip | 1991 - 1993 |
| 2. | Minister of State | Medical and Health, Medical Services (ESI). | 1993 - 1998 |
| 3. | Cabinet Minister | Public Works Department and Parliamentary Affairs. | 2003 - 2008 |
| 4. | Cabinet Minister | Medical and Health Services (ESI), Medical Education, Ayurveda & Indian Medical Methods. | 2013 - 2016 |
| 5. | Cabinet Minister | Rural Development & Panchayati raj and Parliamentary Affairs, Election. | 2016 - 2018 |
| 6. | MLA | Deputy Leader of the Opposition | 2019 - 2023 |
| 7. | MLA | Leader of the Opposition | 2023 |
Social works
- Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Medical College - In October 2018, Rathore took the unprecedented step of opening of Medical College in Churu which is now serving the medical study requirement of many students. [citation needed]
- Lohia Law College - Lohia College has started post graduate courses and graduate level courses. [citation needed]
- Churu Nature Park - In September 2018, he inaugurated the grand nature park in Churu. After Jaipur's Central Park in Rajasthan, the second largest nature park is located in Churu. It is built on 90 bighas of land and more than 10 thousand saplings of about 20 species have been planted under the Naturopathy system. It is equipped with facilities like yoga center, two acupressure tracks, sand path, open gym, watch tower, knowledge park, women park, children park and Swami Gopaldas open air theatre. [citation needed]
- Medical Relief Society - In 1993-98, Rathore was a pioneer in starting the Medical Relief Society while being the Minister of Medical and Health Department. This has been adopted by many Indian state governments since then. [citation needed]
References
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/crisis-ploy-to-buy-power-from-pvt-firms-rathore/articleshow/91192983.cms. The Times of India 30 April 2022
4. https://www.abplive.com/states/rajasthan/rajasthan-bjp-leader-rajendra-rathore-object-congress-mlas-being-made-board-president-2060307. ABP Live 12 Feb 2022
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v0qWTkOWgc. Zee Rajasthan 13 Dec 2021