Yashpal Arya is a 7-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh (twice) and Uttarakhand (five times) combined.[1] He is a former Minister of Transportation, Social Welfare, Minority and Students' Welfare in the Government of Uttarakhand under Bharatiya Janata Party's rule.[2] Currently, he is an Indian National Congress leader and member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. He is a former Speaker of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly under Indian National Congress' rule.[3][4] He was elected from Mukteshwar constituency in the 2007 Uttarakhand state assembly elections.
Yashpal Arya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of Opposition, Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 10 April 2022 | |
| Deputy | Bhuwan Chandra Kapri |
| Preceded by | Pritam Singh |
| Member of Legislative Assembly, Uttarakhand | |
| Assumed office 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency Established |
| Constituency | Bajpur |
| In office 2002–2012 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency Established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| Constituency | Mukteshwar |
| Speaker of Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2002 - 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Prakash Pant |
| Succeeded by | Harbans Kapoor |
| Member of Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| In office 1989–1991 | |
| Constituency | Khatima |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 January 1952 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Indian National Congress (2021–till date) |
| Other political affiliations | INC (Until 2017) Bharatiya Janata Party (2017–21) |
| Children | Sanjeev Arya |
| Residence(s) | Dehradun, Khatima, Bajpur, New Delhi |
He was the President of the Congress Party's Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (Uttarakhand PCC) from 2007 through 2014.[5] He was elected from Bajpur Assembly constituency in 2012 and was being thought to be one of the frontrunners for the chief ministerial candidature until the Congress high command made Vijay Bahuguna, son of former Uttar Pradesh CM late Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna swear into the post. [6]
On 16 January 2017, Arya joined the Bharatiya Janata Party where he served as the Cabinet Minister of Transportation, Social Welfare, Minority and Students' Welfare, Government of Uttarakhand from 18th March, 2017[7] to 11th October, 2021 in the Trivendra Singh Rawat's and Tirath Singh Rawat's Cabinet.[2][8]
On 11 October 2021, Arya along with his son Sanjiv Arya ( MLA, Nainital) returned to Congress.[9] In the Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022, he won Bajpur seat again but this time as an INC candidate, after which he was appointed the Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.[10][11]
Positions held
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1984 - 1989 | Gram Pradhan - Chhalayal Suyal Gram Panchayat, Haldwani |
| 1989 - 1991 | Elected to 10th Uttar Pradesh Assembly |
| 1993 - 1996 | Elected to 12th Uttar Pradesh Assembly (2nd term) |
| 2002 - 2007 | Elected to 1st Uttarakhand Assembly (3rd term)
|
| 2007 - 2012 | Elected to 2nd Uttarakhand Assembly (4th term)
|
| 2012 - 2017 | Elected to 3rd Uttarakhand Assembly (5th term)
|
| 2017 - 2022 | Elected to 4th Uttarakhand Assembly (6th term)
|
| 2022 - Till Date | Elected to 5th Uttarakhand Assembly (7th term)
|
Within Party
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1979 - 1983 | Block President, Nainital Youth Congress |
| 1983 - 1984 | District General Secretary, Nainital Youth Congress |
| 1984 - 1989 | District President, Nainital Youth Congress |
| 1996 - 2000 | President, Udham Singh Nagar District Congress Committee |
| 2007 - 2014 | President, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee |
Electoral performance
| Year | Election | Party | Constituency Name | Result | Votes gained | Vote share% | Margin | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 10th UP Assembly | INC | Khatima | Won | 38,785 | 40.42% | 14,793 | [12] | |
| 1991 | 11th UP Assembly | Lost | 29,211 | 32.11% | 1,755 | [13] | |||
| 1993 | 12th UP Assembly | Won | 49,487 | 42.01% | 8,787 | [14] | |||
| 1996 | 13th UP Assembly | AIIC(T) | Lost | 35,120 | 21.46% | 21,329 | [15] | ||
| 2002 | 1st Uttarakhand Assembly | INC | Mukteshwar | Won | 13,531 | 37.70% | 1,424 | [16] | |
| 2007 | 2nd Uttarakhand Assembly | Won | 26,801 | 58.24% | 10,984 | ||||
| 2012 | 3rd Uttarakhand Assembly | Bajpur | Won | 38524 | 45.94% | 15,131 | [17] | ||
| 2017 | 4th Uttarakhand Assembly | BJP | Won | 54,965 | 53.22% | 12,636 | |||
| 2022 | 5th Uttarakhand Assembly | INC | Won | 40,252 | 36.76% | 1,611 | |||