jyotiraditya-scindia-joins-modi-s-cabinet

Jyotiraditya Scindia's induction into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers has solidified his significance within the BJP since his departure from the Congress four years ago. This marks his second stint as a Cabinet member under the saffron party.

 

In the 2024 general elections, Scindia, 53, secured a resounding victory from his traditional Guna seat, contesting as a BJP candidate for the first time, with a record margin of over 500,000 votes.

 

The BJP triumphed in all 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, including wresting the Chhindwara seat, the last bastion of Congress from the Kamal Nath family, which it had failed to secure in 2019.

 

On Sunday, Scindia was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi 3.0 government.

 

In 2020, Scindia was first inducted as a Union minister in the Modi administration, taking on the Civil Aviation portfolio after aiding the BJP in toppling the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.

 

Scindia's recent ministerial appointment recognises his noteworthy performance as the Civil Aviation and Steel Minister, according to sources close to him.

 

He won the Guna seat by a margin of 540,929 votes, defeating Congress candidate Yadvendra Rao Deshraj Singh. This victory holds personal significance, as he lost his mother, the late Rajmata Madhviraje Scindia, shortly after the polling.

 

Though Scindia was a Rajya Sabha member for the BJP, he contested from Guna for the first time as a BJP candidate in his political career. Despite his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, this was Scindia's first Lok Sabha contest as a BJP candidate.

 

He faced a significant setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, losing to his former aide KP Yadav of the BJP. Subsequently, Scindia joined the BJP in March 2020, citing differences with the Congress leadership.

 

Scindia's political lineage runs deep, with his family having represented Guna for generations. His grandmother, the late Vijayaraje Scindia, and his father, the late Madhavrao Scindia, previously held the seat. Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia was one of the founding members of the Jana Sangh.

 

Born on January 1, 1971, and educated at Harvard and Stanford, Scindia entered politics after his father's sudden death in a plane crash, winning a by-election in 2002. He subsequently won general elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014 from Guna as a Congress leader.

 

He served in the Congress-led UPA government from 2007 to 2014, holding positions as Minister of State for Communications, Commerce and Industry, and Power.

 

Although re-elected from Guna in 2014, he lost the seat in 2019. As the chairman of the Congress campaign committee in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, he played a crucial role in the party's victory, although the Chief Ministership went to Kamal Nath.

 

Scindia's discontent with the Congress leadership culminated in his switch to the BJP in 2020. A key turning point came when 22 Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia, including six ministers, resigned, dislodging the Congress government from power in his home state.

 

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan noted that the entire Scindia family was now united under the BJP banner.

 

Scindia's familial ties to royalty include his mother from Nepal's royal family and his wife from Baroda's royal Gaekwad family. PM Modi referred to Scindia as the "son-in-law of Gujarat." Scindia's responsibility and role in the BJP's plans were evident from the onset of the campaign during the 2023 assembly elections.

 

The first test under the BJP for the 'Maharaja of Gwalior' was on his home turf, the Gwalior-Chambal region, which comprised 34 seats. He delivered 18 to the BJP, up from seven in 2018.

 

The result cemented Scindia's importance in the BJP setup, where he is seen as someone who enjoys the confidence of PM Modi and Amit Shah.