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Arvind Kejriwal Biography
Arvind Kejriwal took birth on the 16th of August, 1968. He is an Indian politician, activist, and former bureaucrat who has served as Delhi’s 7th Chief Minister since February 2015. He first served as Delhi’s Chief Minister from December 2013 to February 2014, resigning after just 49 days in office. He now serves as the Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener. The party won 67 of the 70 assembly seats with a record majority in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. Kejriwal received the ‘Ramon Magsaysay Award’ for Emergent Leadership in 2006 in honour of his participation in ‘Parivartan’. This grassroots movement used the freedom of information laws to fight against government corruption. He gave his Magsaysay award money to the Public Cause Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization, in the same year he left government employment.
Arvind Kejriwal Wiki Profile
Current Position | CM of Delhi MLA, New Delhi constituency |
DOB | Aug 16, 1968 |
Place of Birth | Siwani, Haryana, India |
Religion | Hindu |
Education | Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur |
Profession before joining politics | Mechanical Engineer, Civil Services. Worked for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) as a Joint Commissioner in the Income Tax Department. |
Spouse | Sunita Kejriwal |
Children | Harshita and Pulkit |
Important positions held | Joint Commissioner, Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in the Income Tax Department. Chief Minister of Delhi- 28 December 2013 to 14 February 2014. |
Political party | Aam Aadmi Party |
Profession | Activist, Politician |
Known for | India Against Corruption Jan Lokpal Bill |
Awards | Ramon Magsaysay Award |
Website | http://delhi.gov.in |
Interesting Facts about Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal believes in simplicity and is a vegetarian by choice. Besides being studious, he is a fan of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. He likes to watch comedy movies. He loves to do all his own work. Even at his workplace, he refused to use service of peon and personally cleaned his desk. Kejriwal does not celebrate his or his children’s birthdays.
Establishment of the Aam Aadmi Party
One of the main charges against the Jan Lokpal campaigners was that they lacked the authority to impose their will on the elected officials. They formally established the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012, and Kejriwal was chosen to serve as its National Convener. The word “common man”, or “Aam Aadmi”, is reflected in the party’s name, whose interests Kejriwal sought to promote. Kejriwal and Hazare became estranged due to the creation of the AAP.
In 2013, AAP decided to run candidates for the Delhi Legislative Assembly, with Kejriwal taking on Sheila Dikshit, the current Chief Minister. In the elections lead, Kejriwal rose to the fifth-most discussed Indian political leader on social media.
Arvind Kejriwal: 2014 General Elections
After resignation, he announced that he would not contest a seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But members of the party persuaded him to change his mind and as a result on 25 March, he agreed to contest against BJP prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, from Varanasi. He lost the contest by around 4 lakh votes.
Arvind Kejriwal: 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections and his historic win
The Election Commission of India dissolved the Delhi Legislative Assembly after 9 months of the Governor’s Rule. That is Delhi had a date with fresh elections. He led AAP and started making strategy for the elections. 62 candidates list was released initially for the elections. Later, eight other names were added to the list. In 2012 elections, the party fielded its candidates in all 70 constituencies of Delhi as compared to 69. At that time, AAP raised funds for campaigning and also received funds from the public. Arvind Kejriwal gained popularity via social media.
In the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party to win 67 of the 70 constituencies, leaving the BJP with three seats and INC with none. He was again elected from the New Delhi constituency, defeated Nupur Sharma of BJP by around 31,583 votes. On 14 February, 2015, he took oath as Delhi’s Chief Minister for a second time at Ramlila Maidan. Since then his party passed the Jan Lokpal Bill though with some differences.
Read more: Biography of Narendra Modi
Biography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Arvind Kejriwal Awards
– In 2004 Ashoka Fellow
– In 2005, the IIT Kanpur presented him with the Satyendra L. Dubey Memorial Award.
– In 2006, Ramon Magsaysay Award.
– In 2006, “Indian of the Year” award from CNN-IBN.
– In 2009, the IIT Kharagpur bestowed him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
– In 2009, Association for India’s development awarded him a grant and fellowship.
– In 2010, the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence awarded Arvind Kejriwal, along with Aruna Roy, the Policy change Agent of the Year award.
– In 2011, the Indian of the Year award by NDTV to Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare.
Book Written by Arvind Kejriwal
‘Swaraj’ book is written by Arvind Kejriwal. In the book, he questioned the present democratic system in India and suggests the way people can achieve true Swaraj (self-rule). The book proposes Gandhi’s concept of Swaraj or “Home-rule” model of governance.
Books Written on Arvind Kejriwal
‘A Man With a Mission – Arvind Kejriwal’ by Little Scholarz Editorial