Lucknow Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Know Your Candidate Raj Nath Singh, BJP’s Contender

Candidate Portfolio of Shri Raj Nath Singh:

A resident of Gomati Nagar, Lucknow, Shri Raj Nath Singh, aged 72, is the son of Late Ram Badan Singh. He is a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting for the Lucknow Parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha Election. He is currently serving as the 29th Defence Minister of India since 2019.

Political Career of Raj Nath Singh: Rajnath Singh started his official political career in 1974 as the Secretary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Mirzapur. By 1975, he became the District President of Jana Sangh and the District Coordinator of the JP Movement. In 1977, Singh joined the Janata Party, contested the Mirzapur legislative assembly elections, and was elected as an MLA.

Singh gained state-level popularity and joined the BJP in 1980 as an initial member. He became the State President of the BJP youth wing in 1984, the National General Secretary in 1986, and the National President in 1988.

Rajnath Singh was appointed as the Education Minister in Uttar Pradesh in 1991 under the BJP's first state government. He served for two years before being elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1994. He held various committee roles and became the President of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit in 1997.

• He served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport in 1999 and became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

• He was elected as an MLA from Haidergarh twice in 2001 and 2002.

• In 2003, he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and subsequently for Food Processing in the NDA Government.

• He served as the BJP National President from 2005 to 2009.

• In 2009, he was elected as an MP from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

• He was re-elected as the BJP's National President in 2013 following Nitin Gadkari's resignation.

• He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow and was elected as a Member of Parliament.

• He was appointed as the Union Minister of Home Affairs in the Narendra Modi government in 2014

• He became the Defence Minister of India in 2019.

Educational Qualifications of Raj Nath Singh: He has earned a Master’s degree in Physics from Gorakhpur University, in the year 1971.

Criminal Cases of Raj Nath Singh: He has not been convicted of any criminal offense, nor does he have any pending criminal cases against him.

Assets of Raj Nath Singh:

• Movable Assets: According to the affidavit, Raj Nath Singh has reported that his movable assets amount to Rs. 3,11,32,962.61/-

• Immovable Assets: In the affidavit, Raj Nath Singh has stated that the value of his immovable assets is Rs. 3,34,80,580.

Community Engagement and Outreach: Rajnath Singh, a BJP leader, headed the party's 27-member manifesto committee for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, incorporating public suggestions. He engaged with BJP core group members in Vijayawada to strengthen the party's base in Andhra Pradesh. He also visited Jammu and Kashmir with other Union ministers to assess development work under the BJP's outreach program.

Noteworthy Projects: As Education Minister, Rajnath Singh introduced the Anti-Copying Act in 1992. In 2001, he inaugurated the DND Flyway connecting Delhi to Noida.

As Agriculture Minister in 2003, he launched several significant projects like the Kisan Call Centre and Farm Income Insurance Scheme. He also reduced interest rates on agriculture loans, established the Farmer Commission, and initiated the Farms Income Insurance Scheme.

Rajnath Singh launched the 'Bharat Ke Veer' web portal and application on April 9, 2017, and commissioned the Bastariya Battalion on May 21, 2018.

The Dassault Rafale, a French fighter plane, was procured by India in a deal signed in 2016 by then Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar. The deal, costing $30 billion, was for 126 jets to strengthen the Indian Air Force. The first Rafale was received by the Indian Air Force on October 8, 2019, during Rajnath Singh's tenure as Defence Minister. The first fleet of 5 jets landed at Ambala Air Force Station.

He introduced the 'Agnipath' army recruitment scheme as Defence Minister and inaugurated the four-day IPMHE conference virtually.

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