Menu
View History

Rajnath Singh

Overview

Rajnath Singh (born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has served as the 29th Minister of Defence of India since 2019 and as the Deputy Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha since 2014. He represents Lucknow in the Lok Sabha and has previously held senior offices at both the state and central levels, including Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Union Home Minister.

Key facts

Full name Rajnath Singh
Born 10 July 1951
Profession Politician, lecturer
Party Bharatiya Janata Party
Current office Minister of Defence (since 2019); Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha (since 2014)
Constituency Lucknow (Lok Sabha, since 2014)
Previous offices Union Home Minister (2014–2019); Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2000–2002); Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (1999–2000); Union Minister of Agriculture (2003–2004)
Party leadership President, BJP (2005–2009; 2013–2014); President, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (1988–1990)

Background

Singh began his political life as a swayamsevak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and subsequently became a long-serving leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Alongside his political work, he has been associated with the teaching profession as a lecturer.

Political career

Early party roles

Singh served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, from 1988 to 1990. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from the Haidergarh constituency.

Parliamentary career

Singh was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2001 and again from 2002 to 2008. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ghaziabad in 2009 and has represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha since 2014.

State government

He served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2000 to 2002.

Union Cabinet

  • Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the Vajpayee government, 1999–2000.
  • Minister of Agriculture, 2003–2004.
  • Union Home Minister (25th) in the first Modi ministry, 2014–2019. He was the first person born after Indian independence to hold this office.
  • Minister of Defence (29th), since 2019.

BJP presidency

Singh served two terms as the national President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2014.

Timeline

  • 1951 – Born on 10 July.
  • 1988–1990 – President, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
  • 1994–2001 – Member, Rajya Sabha.
  • 1999–2000 – Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.
  • 2000–2002 – Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
  • 2002–2008 – Member, Rajya Sabha.
  • 2003–2004 – Union Minister of Agriculture.
  • 2005–2009 – President, Bharatiya Janata Party.
  • 2009–2014 – Member of Lok Sabha from Ghaziabad.
  • 2013–2014 – President, Bharatiya Janata Party (second term).
  • 2014 – Elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow; appointed Union Home Minister; became Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha.
  • 2019 – Appointed Minister of Defence.

Significance

Singh is among the senior-most leaders of the BJP, having held charge of the party organisation as national president on two occasions and having served in major portfolios — Agriculture, Road Transport and Highways, Home Affairs, and Defence — across the Vajpayee and Modi governments. As Union Home Minister from 2014 to 2019, he was the first person born after Indian independence to hold the office.

References