Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Encyclopedia
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (23 October 1923 – 15 May 2010) was the 11th Vice-President of India
. He served in that position from August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kant
, until he resigned on July 21, 2007, after losing the presidential election
to Pratibha Patil
. Shekhawat was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), a leading member of the National Democratic Alliance
at the time of election. He served as the Chief Minister
of Rajasthan
three times, from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998.
in Rajasthan
. He was married to Shrimati Suraj Kanwar and they had a daughter Shrimati Ratan Kanwar. She is married to the senior B.J.P leader Narpat Singh Rajvi
and they have 3 children - a daughter, Mumal Rajvi, and 2 sons, Vikramaditya Singh Rajvi and Abhimanyu Singh Rajvi.
After the death of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat his 'pagh' was given to his elder grandson Vikramaditya Singh Rajvi(Indian adoption) by Mrs. Suraj Kanwar Shekhawat. While Abhimanyu is taken as Shekhawat's political heir and a young face of the BJP in Rajasthan.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat completed high school but was unable to complete college due to his father's death. He had to support his family. He worked as a farmer and a sub-inspector of police. His website lists his favorite pastimes as reading, interacting with people and extensively touring the State and other parts of the nation.
won elections in majority of the states in India. Shekhawat always posed a threat to the Congress Party in Rajasthan. In the 1967 elections, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (Shekhawat's Party) and the Swatantra Party
alliance reached near majority but couldn't form a government. But in the Janata wave in the year 1977, Shekhawat won with a thunderous landslide victory bagging 151 of 200 seats. After the split in the year 1980, Shekhawat decided to join the Bhartiya Janata Party with a host of his supporters. The Indian National Congress won the 1980 elections due to the split of opposition votes. During the Indira wave in 1984, again BJP lost the election heavily. The Congress managed to win 114 out of the 200 seats in Rajasthan. The opposition was divided, otherwise Shekhawat could have made history. But he did make history later on, in the 1989 elections when the BJP-Janata Dal
alliance won all the 25 seats in the Lok Sabha
from Rajasthan and won 140 seats in the assembly polls that followed. Shekhawat once again became Chief Minister of Rajasthan. In the next elections, after the split in the alliance, Shekhawat led the BJP to be the single largest party winning 96 seats. Three BJP-supported independents also won taking the tally to 99. Many independents supported the BJP and its final tally was 116. The Congress did its best to stop Shekhawat from forming the government. But due to the support of independents, Shekhawat was able to form the government. In the next elections, in the year 1998, the Shekhawat government lost due to the onion price rise issue. But the BJP bounced back in the Lok Sabha elections in 1999, just one year after the assembly polls. BJP won 16 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from Rajasthan. Shekhawat was elected as the Vice President of India in 2002, when he defeated the opposition candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled.
In July 2007, Shekhawat fought the Presidential election as an independent candidate backed by National Democratic Alliance as a popular Presidential candidate next to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam; but lost to the United Progressive Alliance
-Left backed candidate Pratibha Patil
. Following his defeat, Shekhawat resigned from the post of Vice-President on 21 July 2007.
His funeral was attented by all the big names of Indian politics like Hamid Ansari, APJ Abdul Kalam, Lal Krishna Advani, Sharad Pawar, Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh Badal, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Raman Singh, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Om Prakash Chautala, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje all the ministers of Rajasthan and most of the MLA's of Rajasthan amongst many more from all the parts of the country.
In the prayer meeting held at Mr. Shekhawat's house in New Delhi
, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and MP
Shatrugan Sinha were some prominent leaders who attended.
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Vice-President of India
The Vice-President of India is the second-highest ranking government official in the executive branch of the Government of India, after the President...
. He served in that position from August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kant
Krishan Kant
Krishan Kant was the tenth Vice President of India from 1997 until his death.Kant's first brush with politics came when he plunged into the Quit India movement, while he was still a student in Lahore. He took part in the Indian Independence Movement as a youth and continued to be involved in...
, until he resigned on July 21, 2007, after losing the presidential election
Indian presidential election, 2007
The Election Commission of India held indirect 13th presidential elections of India on 19 July 2007. Pratibha Patil with 638,116 votes won over her nearest rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who got 331,306 votes...
to Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
. Shekhawat was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP), a leading member of the National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (India)
The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal...
at the time of election. He served as the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
three times, from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998.
Personal life
His father was Shri Devi Singh Shekhawat and his mother was Shrimati Banne Kanwar. He was born in the village of Khachariawas in the district of SikarSikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. He was married to Shrimati Suraj Kanwar and they had a daughter Shrimati Ratan Kanwar. She is married to the senior B.J.P leader Narpat Singh Rajvi
Narpat Singh Rajvi
Narpat Singh Rajvi is a senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician from the Indian state of Rajasthan. He was born to Rajvi Amar Singh, a judge, and Rani Jas Kanwar. He is married to Ratan Kanwar, the daughter of senior Indian politician and former Vice-President of India late Shree Bhairon Singh...
and they have 3 children - a daughter, Mumal Rajvi, and 2 sons, Vikramaditya Singh Rajvi and Abhimanyu Singh Rajvi.
After the death of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat his 'pagh' was given to his elder grandson Vikramaditya Singh Rajvi(Indian adoption) by Mrs. Suraj Kanwar Shekhawat. While Abhimanyu is taken as Shekhawat's political heir and a young face of the BJP in Rajasthan.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat completed high school but was unable to complete college due to his father's death. He had to support his family. He worked as a farmer and a sub-inspector of police. His website lists his favorite pastimes as reading, interacting with people and extensively touring the State and other parts of the nation.
Political life
"Rajasthan ka ek hi Singh" (The only lion of Rajasthan) or "Babosa" (Head of the family of Rajasthan), Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, entered politics in 1952. He was undoubtedly the most popular politician in Rajasthan ever. He was also one of the tallest leaders of independent India. Until 1977, the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
won elections in majority of the states in India. Shekhawat always posed a threat to the Congress Party in Rajasthan. In the 1967 elections, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (Shekhawat's Party) and the Swatantra Party
Swatantra Party
The Swatantra Party was a classical liberal political party in India founded by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and N. G. Ranga in August 1959. The party opposed the Nehruvian socialist outlook of the Congress Party by advocating free enterprise and free trade, and opposing the licence-permit Raj...
alliance reached near majority but couldn't form a government. But in the Janata wave in the year 1977, Shekhawat won with a thunderous landslide victory bagging 151 of 200 seats. After the split in the year 1980, Shekhawat decided to join the Bhartiya Janata Party with a host of his supporters. The Indian National Congress won the 1980 elections due to the split of opposition votes. During the Indira wave in 1984, again BJP lost the election heavily. The Congress managed to win 114 out of the 200 seats in Rajasthan. The opposition was divided, otherwise Shekhawat could have made history. But he did make history later on, in the 1989 elections when the BJP-Janata Dal
Janata Dal
Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...
alliance won all the 25 seats in the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from Rajasthan and won 140 seats in the assembly polls that followed. Shekhawat once again became Chief Minister of Rajasthan. In the next elections, after the split in the alliance, Shekhawat led the BJP to be the single largest party winning 96 seats. Three BJP-supported independents also won taking the tally to 99. Many independents supported the BJP and its final tally was 116. The Congress did its best to stop Shekhawat from forming the government. But due to the support of independents, Shekhawat was able to form the government. In the next elections, in the year 1998, the Shekhawat government lost due to the onion price rise issue. But the BJP bounced back in the Lok Sabha elections in 1999, just one year after the assembly polls. BJP won 16 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from Rajasthan. Shekhawat was elected as the Vice President of India in 2002, when he defeated the opposition candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled.
In July 2007, Shekhawat fought the Presidential election as an independent candidate backed by National Democratic Alliance as a popular Presidential candidate next to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam; but lost to the United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
-Left backed candidate Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
. Following his defeat, Shekhawat resigned from the post of Vice-President on 21 July 2007.
Administration
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is by far one of the few politicians known for their administrative skills. Shekhawat started the "Antyoday Yojna" or the scheme for the rise of the poorest of the poor. World Bank's Chairman Robert McNamara hailed Shekhawat as the Rockefeller of India. Shekhawat was also known for his control over bureaucracy and the police. He is responsible for the rise of literacy in Rajasthan. He is also hailed as the father of Industrialization of Rajasthan. Shekhawat's thoughts and policies led to the introduction of Heritage, Wildlife and Village tourism in Rajasthan. He was also lauded by both, national and international leaders for his historic conduct of the Rajya Sabha (The Council of States).Death
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat fell ill due to cancer and old age related problems, he went under regular treatment in different hospitals of India. He died on May 15, 2010 at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. He was cremated the next day, at a plot of land provided by the government of Rajasthan, where his memorial will now be built. His funeral procession was attended by hundreds of thousands of people and was termed as "Historic Farewell" by the local news papers. His elder grandson Vikramaditya Singh Rajvi lit his funeral pyre along with his younger brother Abhimanyu Singh Rajvi.His funeral was attented by all the big names of Indian politics like Hamid Ansari, APJ Abdul Kalam, Lal Krishna Advani, Sharad Pawar, Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh Badal, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Raman Singh, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Om Prakash Chautala, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje all the ministers of Rajasthan and most of the MLA's of Rajasthan amongst many more from all the parts of the country.
In the prayer meeting held at Mr. Shekhawat's house in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Manmohan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Shatrugan Sinha were some prominent leaders who attended.
Positions held
- 1952–72 Member, Rajasthan Legislative AssemblyRajasthan Legislative AssemblyThe Rajasthan Legislative Assembly or the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated in Jaipur — the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people. Presently, the legislative assembly...
- 1974–77 Member, Rajya SabhaRajya SabhaThe Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
(Madhya Pradesh) - 1977–2002 Member, Rajasthan Legislative AssemblyRajasthan Legislative AssemblyThe Rajasthan Legislative Assembly or the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated in Jaipur — the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people. Presently, the legislative assembly...
- 22 June 1977–16 February 1980 Chief Minister of Rajasthan
- 1980–90 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
- 4 March 1990–15 December 1992 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (second term)
- 4 December 1993–29 November 1998 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (third term)
- December 1998–August 2002 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
- 19 August 2002–21 July 2007 Vice-President of India and ex officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
External links
- Rediff/August 28, 2006: Bhairon Singh Shekhawat: The next President?
- Shekhawat sworn in as Vice-President
- Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Profile on the Official Indian Government Site
- Shekhawat on British payroll in 1942
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