Captain Sachin Rajesh Pilot (born 7 September 1977) is an Indian politician. A member of the Indian National Congress, he has been serving as Member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Tonk since 2018. He has previously served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Corporate Affairs and Communication and IT in the Government of India[1] under Manmohan Singh.[2][3] Additionally he served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 2018 to 2020 under Ashok Gehlot. Pilot became the youngest citizen of India to become Member of Parliament at the age of 26.[4]
Sachin Pilot | |
|---|---|
 Pilot at an event in 2010 | |
| Member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 17 December 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Ajit Singh Mehta |
| Constituency | Tonk |
| General Secretary of Indian National Congress for Chhattisgarh | |
| Assumed office 23 December 2023 | |
| President | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Preceded by | Kumari Selja |
| 5th Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan | |
| In office 17 December 2018 – 14 July 2020 | |
| Governor | Kalyan Singh Kalraj Mishra |
| Chief Minister | Ashok Gehlot |
| Ministry and Departments |
|
| Succeeded by | Diya Kumari Prem Chand Bairwa |
| President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee | |
| In office 13 January 2014 – 14 July 2020 | |
| National President | Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi |
| Preceded by | C. P. Joshi |
| Succeeded by | Govind Singh Dotasra |
| Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Corporate Affairs | |
| In office 29 October 2012 – 24 May 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Veerappa Moily |
| Succeeded by | Arun Jaitley |
| Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology | |
| In office 28 May 2009 – 28 October 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 16 May 2009 – 16 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Rasa Singh Rawat |
| Succeeded by | Sanwar Lal Jat |
| Constituency | Ajmer, Rajasthan |
| In office 17 May 2004 – 16 May 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Rama Pilot |
| Succeeded by | Kirodi Lal Meena |
| Constituency | Dausa, Rajasthan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sachin Rajesh Pilot 7 September 1977 Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse |
Sara Abdullah
(m. 2004; div. 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Rajesh Pilot (father) Rama Pilot (mother) |
| Alma mater | University of Delhi (BA) I.M.T. Ghaziabad (PGDM) University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
| Profession | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | 2011–present |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit |  Territorial Army |
Pilot was born to late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot and Rama Pilot. He was previously a member of the Indian Parliament for Ajmer in 2009 and Dausa constituencies of Rajasthan, becoming the youngest member of parliament when he was elected from the latter seat in 2004, aged 26. He was unseated from the Lok Sabha during the 2014 election from Ajmer constituency.[5] He served as the Minister of Corporate Affairs in the UPA-2 government tenure (2012–2014).[6]
He studied at Air Force Bal Bharati School, New Delhi, and holds a B.A. from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi, a diploma in marketing from I.M.T. Ghaziabad and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.[7] He was employed with the Delhi Bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and then with American multinational corporation General Motors for two years.[8]
Early life
editPilot was born to late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot and Rama Pilot. His father was a Union minister of India. His ancestral village is Vaidpura in Greater Noida (West), Uttar Pradesh.[9]
Career
editIn the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Pilot was elected from the Dausa constituency. At the age of 26, he became the youngest MP in India.[10]
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's Kiran Maheshwari by a margin of 76,596 votes and won the seat of Ajmer.[11]
Pilot was a member of the Lok Sabha's Standing Committee on Home Affairs and member of the Consultative Committee in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In 2012, he became the Minister of Corporate Affairs in the second Manmohan Singh ministry.[12]
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he was again nominated from the Ajmer constituency and was defeated by a margin of 1,71,983 votes by Bharatiya Janata Party's sitting MLA Sanwarlal Jat.[13]
In 2014, he was appointed the President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee.[10]
Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan
editEarly times
editIn the 2018 Legislative Assembly elections, Pilot won from the Tonk seat, after defeating Yunus Khan by a margin of 54,179 votes.[14] It was speculated that Pilot, who was considered instrumental in the Congress's victory in the state,[10] would be given the post of chief minister.[15][16] On 17 December 2018, he was sworn in as Deputy chief Minister of Rajasthan under Ashok Gehlot.[17]
2020 political crisis
editOn 13 July 2020, Pilot's office issued a statement saying that the government of chief minister Ashok Gehlot was in a minority.[18] An aide of Pilot's indicated that he would not be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.[19]
On 14 July 2020, the Indian National Congress sacked Pilot as the Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress President for his revolt against the party and its leadership.[20]
After his revolt there was speculation that he would join the BJP, like his former colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia, but on 15 July 2020 he rejected the rumours and stated: "I am still a member of the Congress party".[21]
The Rajasthan Speaker, C.P. Joshi, issued notices to 19 dissident Congress MLAs including Pilot on 14 July 2020 after the Rajasthan Congress passed a resolution that they be disqualified from the state Assembly as they had defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings.[22][23] Pilot challenged this notice in the Rajasthan High Court on 17 July 2020. The High Court asked the Speaker to defer action on disqualification notices till 21 July 2020.[24] The High Court ordered "status quo" to be maintained, essentially putting the disqualification procedure on hold, on 24 July 2020.[25]
Post 2020
editIn 2023, before the 2024 Indian general elections Pilot was appointed the general secretary for the Chhattisgarh Congress.[26]
Electoral history
edit| Electoral History | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Party | House | Constituency | Status | |
| 2004 | INC | Lok Sabha | Dausa | Won | |
| 2009 | Ajmer | Won | |||
| 2014 | Lost | ||||
| 2018 | INC | Rajasthan Legislative Assembly | Tonk | Won | |
| 2023 | INC | Rajasthan Legislative Assembly | Tonk | Won | |
Personal life
editPilot married Sara Abdullah on 15 January 2004. She is the daughter of Farooq Abdullah, president of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference and ex-Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.[27] Together they have two sons. Later Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah have separated after nearly two decades of marriage, according to his poll affidavit for Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023.[28][29][30]
His father, Rajesh Pilot, was also member of parliament and was also union minister.[31][32] The 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election nomination paper filed by Pilot revealed that he is divorced from his wife.[33]
Army service
editOn 6 September 2012, Pilot became the first Union minister of India to be commissioned as an officer in the Territorial Army, fulfilling his desire to follow his father's footsteps to be in the armed forces. He is known as Captain Pilot for being an officer in the Territorial Army.[34] After being commissioned he said, "This has been my desire to join the army for very long as I wanted to have my links with the armed forces, like my father and grandfather. I am honored to be part of this family."[34]
Books published
edit- Rajesh Pilot: In Spirit Forever, co-authored with sister Sarika Pilot.[35]
References
edit- ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Ministers take charge - Pawan Kumar Bansal the new Railways Minister". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Congress sacks Sachin Pilot as Rajasthan deputy CM, PCC chief". The Times of India. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "The End Nears. Sachin Pilot Is Now Ex Deputy Chief Minister". NDTV.
- ^ "Who is Sachin Pilot?". The Times of India. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Rajasthan Election Result 2018 Highlights: Ashok Gehlot Named Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot Will Be Deputy CM". Moneycontrol. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot". Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). 7 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Lok Sabha 2009 Winner - Ajmer (Rajasthan): Sachin Pilot". myneta.info. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Detailed professional background before entering politics". Elections.in.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Sachin: The pilot who helped drive Cong to victory in Rajasthan". The Hindu Business Line. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "IndiaVotes.com | Lok Sabha / 2009 / Rajasthan / Ajmer". Indiavotes.com.
- ^ "SACHIN PILOT". londonspeakerbureau.com.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot loses Ajmer seat to BJP candidate". Business Standard. 16 May 2014.
- ^ "Rajasthan Elections: Sachin Pilot Wins Tonk By Over 54,000 Votes". Huffington Post. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ "Congress picks Ashok Gehlot as Rajasthan CM, Sachin Pilot as Deputy CM". The Economic Times. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Good evening, Rajasthan. This is your pilot Ashok Gehlot. With me is my co-pilot Sachin". India Today. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Ashok Gehlot sworn in as Rajasthan chief minister, Sachin Pilot as deputy CM". The Times of India. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot revolts, says Gehlot govt in minority; Dy CM claims support of 30 MLAs". Times of India. 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot not joining BJP, says his aide amid turmoil in Rajasthan Congress". Hindustan Times. 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot Sacked as Deputy CM, State Congress Chief After Revolt; Ashok Gehlot Meets Governor". News18.
- ^ ""Not Joining BJP, Attempt To Malign Me Before Gandhis": Sachin Pilot". NDTV.
- ^ "Gehlot guns for disqualification, Pilot says dissent: A look at precedence". India Today.
- ^ "Rajasthan political crisis:Sachin Pilot takes Congress to court over disqualification".
- ^ "High Court asks Speaker to defer action on disqualification notices till July 21". The Hindu.
- ^ Iqbal, Mohammed (24 July 2020). "Relief to Sachin Pilot, 18 MLAs as High Court orders status quo on disqualification notices". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot gets Chhattisgarh in Congress reshuffle, Priyanka Gandhi sans portfolio". 23 December 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Ismat Tahseen (25 July 2010). "I don't take advantage of my surname: Sara Pilot". DNAindia.com. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Sachin Pilot shows assets worth Rs 4.5 crore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ "A Football match by Cequin". photogallery.IndiaTimes.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Sarah Abdullah and Sachin Pilot .(2008-11-06). Retrieved on 5 April 2012.
- ^ "As A Boy, He Delivered Milk To A Bungalow. As A Minister, Rajesh Pilot Lived There". NDTV.
- ^ "Kharge, Sachin Pilot pay tribute to former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot on his birth anniversary". ANI news.
- ^ "हलफनामे में सचिन पायलट ने खुद को बताया 'Divorced', 64.3 लाख रुपए की है आय". Zee News (in Hindi). 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Sachin Pilot commissioned as Territorial Army officer". DNAIndia.com. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ "Pilot takes off". The Times of India. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
External links
edit- [1] profile on Lok Sabha site
- Sachin Pilot on Facebook
- Sachin Pilot on Instagram
- Sachin Pilot on Twitter
- sachin pilot election 2023 on GKduniya.in