Chandrashekhar Azad (born 3 December 1986; Hindi pronunciation: [t͡ʃən̪d̪ɾəʃeːkʰəɾ aːzaːd̪]), also known as Chandra Shekhar Azad Ravan, is an Indian politician, social activist, Ambedkarite and lawyer. He is serving as a Member of Parliament of the 18th Lok Sabha from Nagina since June 2024. He is the chief and co-founder of the Bhim Army,[1] and the National President of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram). In February 2021, Time magazine featured him in its annual list of 100 Emerging Leaders who are Shaping the Future.[2]
Chandrashekhar Azad | |
|---|---|
 Azad in 2021 | |
| National President of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) | |
| Assumed office 15 March 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Leader of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Chief of the Bhim Army | |
| Assumed office 21 July 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Girish Chandra |
| Constituency | Nagina, Uttar Pradesh |
| Majority | 1,51,473 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 December 1986 Chhutmalpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Nationality |  Indian |
| Political party | Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) |
| Spouse |
Vandna Kumari (m. 2020) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Govardhan Das (father) Kamlesh Devi (mother) |
| Residence | Chhutmalpur |
| Education | B.A. Hons. & L.L.B. |
| Alma mater | Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University |
| Occupation | Politician, lawyer, social activist |
Posts held
edit| # | From | To | Position | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 4 June 2024 | Incumbent | Member of Parliament, 18th Lok Sabha | |
| 02 | 14 August 2024 | Incumbent | Member of the committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes | |
| 03 | 26 September 2024 | Incumbent | Member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs |
Early life
editChandrashekhar Azad was born on 3 December 1986, in Dhadkuli village near Chhutmalpur in Saharanpur, Western Uttar Pradesh.[3] Growing up in a Dalit family, Azad experienced caste-based discrimination, which influenced his early interest in social justice and advocacy.[4][5][6] His father, Govardhan Das, retired as a principal of a government school. Azad came to prominence as a Bahujan leader after he installed a hoarding titled The Great Chamars of Ghadkhauli Welcome You on the outskirts of his village. Chandra Shekhar Azad started free coaching classes for all categories and distributed free books for poor students to study.[7][8][9]
Activism and politics
editAzad, Satish Kumar, and Vinay Ratan Singh founded Bhim Army in 2014, an organisation that works for the emancipation of Dalits through education in India.[10] It runs free schools for Dalits in western Uttar Pradesh.[11][12]
In 2020, he founded the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).
5656 UP legislative Assembly elections, he contested the Gorakhpur Urban Assembly constituency against Yogi Adityanath, with Azad getting 3.06% of the vote share and losing his deposit.
In the 2024 Indian general election in Uttar Pradesh, Azad Samaj Party (ASP) candidate Chandrashekhar Azad won the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency by 1,51,473 votes. He got 5,12,552 votes. BJP's Om Kumar came second, who got 3,61,079 votes.[13][14][15]
Imprisonment
edit- He was arrested in relation to the Saharanpur violence incident.[16] Azad was arrested under the National Security Act by the Uttar Pradesh Government. Afterwards he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court after his lawyer argued that the arrests were politically motivated.[17]
- Delhi Police had denied permission to Chandrashekhar Azad's protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act from Delhi Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar. He entered into protest at Jama Masjid and was arrested by Delhi police and detained for several days.[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "My Son a Dalit Revolutionary, Say Bhim Army Chief's Mother". News18. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad in Time magazine's list of 100 emerging leaders". The Indian Express. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan: Latest News, Videos and Photos of Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan | Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Shahi, Sunita (17 September 2018). "Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan: "I am a misfit in politics"". National Herald. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "The Rise Of Chandrashekhar Azad 'Ravan'". Outlook India. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Chandrashekhar Azad: The Indian Dalit leader challenging Modi". 20 March 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Trivedi, Divya (2 February 2018). "Fighting spirit". Frontline. The Hindu Group. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Doval, Nikita (9 June 2017). "Chandrashekhar Azad—The man in the blue scarf". Mint. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Tiwary, Deeptiman (26 June 2018). "Walking the faultlines: The Bhim Army has been slowly gaining ground among Dalits locally". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ "What is the Bhim Army?". The Indian Express. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Ali, Mohammad (17 June 2017). "Mohammad Ali on the Bhim Army's grassroot education project for Dalits in Saharanpur". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Kumar, Sunaina (22 May 2018). "Class act: the great Dalit fightback that started in the schoolroom". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ "Nagina Election Result: चंद्रशेखर आजाद 1 लाख 51,000 वोट से जीते, BJP के ओम कुमार को हराया". 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Nagina Loksabha Results: भीम आर्मी के चंद्रशेखर, नगीना से BJP प्रत्याशी को भारी अंतर से हराया". 4 June 2024.
- ^ "BJP और चंद्रशेखर आजाद रावण की 'करीबी' नगीना से दे रही है दिलचस्प संकेत". आज तक (in Hindi). 10 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "14 दिन की हिरासत में रावण, गिरफ्तारी के पीछे गर्लफ्रेंड का हाथ". navodayatimes.in (in Hindi). 9 June 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ "HC says cases against Bhim Army chief 'politically motivated', grants him bail". The Times of India. 3 November 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Bhim Army's Chandrashekhar Azad Arrested Day After Protest In Old Delhi". ndtv.com.