Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (23 October 1923 – 15 May 2010) was the 11th

vice president of India The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...

. 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 21 July 2007, after losing the presidential election to

Pratibha Patil Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...

. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was a member of the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

. He served as the

Chief Minister of Rajasthan The chief minister of Rajasthan is the chief executive of the Indian state of Rajasthan. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief ...

three times, from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998. He represented several constituencies in Rajasthan

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...

from 1952 to 2002. He was also awarded

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in the year 2003.

Early life

He was born in 1923 to a

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

family in the village of Khachriyawas, then in Sikar district,

Rajputana Agency The Rajputana Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire dealing with a collection of native states in Rajputana (now in Rajasthan, northwestern India), under the political charge of an Agent reporting directly to the Governor ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father Devi Singh was a farmer of the village and his mother, Bane Kanwar was a housewife. He was very good in studies and completed

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

but was unable to complete college due to his father’s death. He had to support his family. He worked as a farmer and an officer sub-inspector of police. After working in Police Department for few years he saw his interest in the politics and joined

Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

in 1950. In the year 1952, he resigned from the position of

Police Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

to contest Elections in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

Legacy

Referred to as "Rajasthan ka ek hi Singh" (The only lion of Rajasthan) or "Babosa" (Head of the family of Rajasthan) and affectionately as Bhairon Baba, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat entered politics in 1952. In 1952 he was MLA from

Ramgarh Ramgarh may refer to: Bangladesh * Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District India * Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar * Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar * Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainital ...

, in 1957 from Sri Madhopur, 1962 and 1967 he was MLA from Kisan Pol. In 1972 elections he lost but in 1973 he was elected to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. In 1975 during emergency he was arrested and sent to

Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9(old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the National ...

jail. He remains the only Non-Congress politician to be the

Chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

3 times and was the first

Vice President of India The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...

from

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mo ...

Political career

Janata Party

After emergency in 1977 he became MLA from Chhabra as

Janata Party The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...

candidate. In that year the

won 151 of the 200 seats in the state assembly elections of Rajasthan and Shekhawat took over as the first non Congress Chief Minister of Rajasthan in 1977. His government was dismissed by Indira Gandhi in 1980.

Bharatiya Janata Party

In 1980, Shekhawat joined the

(BJP) and became MLA again from Chabda and was leader of opposition. In 1985, he was MLA from Nimbahera. However, in 1989 an alliance between the BJP and the

Janata Dal Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 October 1988 on the birth annive ...

won all 25 of the Rajasthan seats in the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

and also 138 seats (

:84+

:54) in the 1990 elections to the Ninth Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. Shekhawat once again became Chief Minister of Rajasthan and was MLA from Dholpur. His government was dismissed in 1992 and President's rule imposed. In the next elections, in 1993, Shekhawat led the BJP to be the single largest party, winning 96 seats. He himself contested from two seats, becoming MLA from Bali, but he lost from

Ganganagar Sri Ganganagar is a planned city and the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri ...

seat where he finished third and Congress candidate Radheshyam Ganganagar won. Three BJP-supported independents also won seats and other independents who supported the BJP took its total to 116. And Shekhawat became Chief Minister of Rajasthan for third time. In 1998, Shekhawat was elected from Bali again but the BJP lost power and Shekhawat became Leader of Opposition in the legislative assembly. Shekhawat won every election to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, except in 1972 when he lost from Gandhi Nagar in

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...

, and in Ganganagar he lost in 1993 and Congress leader Radheshyam Ganganagar won. . In the 1999 general elections, he had recommended the BJP to give Prem Singh Rathore from Hyderabad , a close friend a ticket from Maharajganj(now goshamahal)and helped him win his elections and established strong BJP presence in Andhra Region. Shekhawat was elected as the

Vice-President of India The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...

in 2002, when he defeated the opposition candidate,

Sushil Kumar Shinde Sushilkumar Sambhaji Shinde (born 4 September 1941) is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Power in the Manmohan Singh government, and the Leader of the House in Lok Sabha until ...

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 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; but lost to the

United Progressive Alliance United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...

-Left backed candidate

. He became the first vice-president to lose presidential election. Following this defeat, Shekhawat resigned from the post of Vice-President on 21 July 2007.

Notable Policies

Against Sati Pratha

Shekhawat played the most crucial role in removing

Sati (practice) Sati or suttee is a Hindu practice, now largely historical, in which a widow sacrifices herself by sitting atop her deceased husband's funeral pyre. Quote: Between 1943 and 1987, some thirty women in Rajasthan (twenty-eight, according to offi ...

from

as a part of their culture, especially among

community. At the time of 1987 when a 18 years old girl 'Roop Kanwar' was burnt as Sati, then the matter came in controversy. Then at that time without thinking about his votebank, he put a total ban on this practice.

Antyoday Yojna

Shekhawat started the "Antyoday Yojna" scheme, which was intended to uplift the poorest of the poor. The chairman of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the ...

, referred to him as the Rockefeller of India.

Powerful Administration

Shekhawat was also known for his control over bureaucracy and the police. He had involvement in policies designed to improve literacy and industrialisation in Rajasthan, as well as tourism centred on the themes of heritage, wildlife and villages. He was also lauded by both, national and international leaders for his historic conduct of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

Death

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat succumbed to cancer and other related health problems, and died on 15 May 2010 at the

Sawai Man Singh Hospital Sawai Man Singh Hospital is the major hospital of Jaipur and Rajasthan state of India. This government hospital is staffed with 1500 doctors and 4000 nurses with 6251 beds in 43 wards and daily more than 10000 OPD.In fact it surpassed AIIMS Delh ...

. He was cremated the next day, at a plot of land provided by the government of Rajasthan, where his memorial is now built. His funeral was attended by thousands of people. He was survived by his wife, Suraj Kanwar and his only daughter, Ratan Rajvi who is married to BJP leader Narpat Singh Rajvi. His wife, Suraj Kanwar (1927 - 2013), died on 9 March 2013 at the age of 86 and was cremated at Shekhawat's memorial as per her last wish.

Electoral history

Shekhawat was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on the following occasions: *1952 - 1957, Jana Sangh MLA from Danta-ramgarh. *1957 - 1962, Jana Sangh MLA from Sri Madhopur. *1962 - 1967, MLA from Kishanpole. *1967 - 1972, MLA from Kishanpole. * 1972 : Lost from

Gandhinagar Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mum ...

as Jana Sangh candidate. *1974 - 1977, Rajyasabha MP from

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

. *1977 - 1980, Janata Party MLA from Chhabra, via a bypoll. *1980 - 1985,

MLA from Chhabra. *1985 - 1990, BJP MLA from Nimbahera. (Also won from Amber, but resigned from that seat) *1990 - 1992, BJP MLA from Dholpur. (Also won from Chhabra, but resigned from that seat) *1993 - 1998, BJP MLA from Bali. (Also contested from

but lost that seat, finishing third) *1998 - 2002, BJP MLA from Bali.

Offices held

He held the following offices: * 22 June 1977 – 16 February 1980:

. * 1980 – 90 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. * 4 March 1990 – 15 December 1992:

. * 4 December 1993 – 29 November 1998:

. * December 1998 – August 2002: Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. * 19 August 2002 – 21 July 2007:

References

External links

Rediff/28 August 2006: Bhairon Singh Shekhawat: The next President?

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Profile on the Official Indian Government Site

Shekhawat on British payroll in 1942
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shekhawat, Bhairon Singh 1925 births 2010 deaths Chief ministers from Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Ministers of Rajasthan Indian Hindus Deaths from cancer in India People from Sikar district Candidates for President of India Rajasthani people Vice presidents of India Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) Rajasthan MLAs 1957–1962 Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan MLAs 1952–1957 Rajasthan MLAs 1962–1967 Rajasthan MLAs 1967–1972 Rajasthan MLAs 1977–1980 Rajasthan MLAs 1980–1985 Rajasthan MLAs 1985–1990 Rajasthan MLAs 1990–1992 Rajasthan MLAs 1993–1998 Rajasthan MLAs 1998–2003 Leaders of the Opposition in Rajasthan Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians Chief ministers from Janata Party Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Rajasthan