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Swatantra Dev Singh is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He assumed the charge of Minister of Jal Shakti & Disaster Management, Government of Uttar Pradesh on 25 March 2022.
Wiki/Biography
Swatantra Dev Singh was born on Friday, 13 February 1964 (age 60 years; as of 2024) in Ori Village, Jamalpur Block, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1985 at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. Swatantra first inclined towards politics when he was in college. He contested the student union president elections from DVC College in Orai, Mirzapur in 1985, but lost. In 1986, while he was in college, he joined the RSS and worked as the pracharak of the Sangh. In 1989, started working as an organization minister in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Grey
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Swatantra’s father’s name is Allar Singh, and his mother’s name is Rama Devi.
Swatantra Dev Singh with his mother
He has one elder brother Shripat Singh, who works as a police officer.
Wife & Children
The name of his wife and children is not known. He has two daughters and one son.
Swatantra Dev Singh with his family
Religion
Swatantra follows Hinduism.
Swatantra Dev Singh performing a Hindu ritual
Caste
Swatantra belongs to the Kurmi caste.
Career
In 1994, he became the in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in the Bundelkhand region. In 1996, he became the General Secretary of BJYM. In 1998, he again became the General Secretary of BJP State Yuva Morcha. In 2001, he was elected as the president of BJP’s Yuva Morcha of Uttar Pradesh. In 2004, he was elected as a member of the Jhansi- Jalaun- Lalitpur Legislative Council from Bundelkhand. He has also served as the state general secretary of state BJP thrice, between 2004 and 2017. In 2010, he became the vice president of the BJP. In 2012, he was elected as the general minister of the BJP. In 2013, he became the in-charge of the BJP in West Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, he became in charge of the BJP membership campaign in Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, he became chief in charge of the Ganga Yatra of Union Water Resources Development Minister Uma Bharti from Moradabad to Ballia. In 2017, he started working as the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Transport, Protocol & Power. In 2019, he became the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh. In March 2022, he was elected as the Minister of Jal Shakti & Disaster Management in Uttar Pradesh. On 30 July 2022, he quit as Uttar Pradesh BJP chief. Singh’s resignation came days after his junior minister Dinesh Khatik sent his resignation to Union home minister Amit Shah, citing unfair treatment by officers at the Jal Shakti ministry as he was a Dalit. Reportedly, Khatik was upset with Singh and his team of officers who headed the department.
Awards
- In 2018, he was awarded the Transport Minister of the Year Award by the SKOCH Group.
- In March 2022, he received the first prize for the initiatives taken for water management under his leadership.
Swatantra Dev Singh receiving first prize for the initiatives taken for water management under his leadership
Assets/Properties
Movable Assets
- Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs. 6,17,359
- LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs. 6,12,125
Immovable Assets
- Agricultural Land: Rs. 30,00,000
- Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 30,00,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 50,00,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor).
Net Worth
Swatantra’s net worth for the financial year 2019 was estimated to be Rs. 13,284,601.
Facts/Trivia
- When he was a kid, he was interested in sports and was the captain of the wrestling team in his school.
- Before entering politics, he worked for the Hindi daily Swatantra Bharat in 1986 as a reporter.
- He took out rallies for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and in West Uttar Pradesh during the 2017 assembly polls.
- In 2019, he organized rallies for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh during the Lok Sabha elections.
- Swatantra was named Congress Singh by his parents when he was born, but because of his inclination towards the BJP, he changed his name to Swatantra Dev Singh. In an interview, one of his friends talked about him and said,
I remember we were all sitting in the RSS office when we asked him why he is called Congress. He told us his father was a Congressi, and was worried about the future of the party so gave his son this name to ensure the party’s legacy continues. But we collectively decided that his name should be changed, and that’s how Swatantra came to be.”
- He did not like the ideology of RSS when he was in college, but later, when he tried to understand it better, he was impressed by the ideology and he joined the RSS.
Swatantra Dev Singh during the initial days of his political career
- In 2021, he talked about the Samajwadi Party at a media conference and said that the party promoted family politics. In the statement, he said,
Remaining away from family-based politics, the BJP has given important posts to hardworking people in the organisation and the government. Even a common worker in our party can dream of sitting at the top position. Whereas, in the SP, BSP and Congress, ordinary workers are kept away from top posts because of the importance given to families.”
- In April 2022, he launched the fuel conservation mega campaign ‘Saksham-2022’ at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan.