Jyotiraditya Scindia: The Gwalior royal at the centre of turmoil in Madhya Pradesh

Born on January 1, 1971, Scindia completed his BA (Economics) from Harvard University, Cambridge, in 1993 and MBA from Graduate School of Business of Stanford University in 2001. Follow Madhya Pradesh government crisis LIVE Updates 

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s father Madhavrao Scindia was a Congress stalwart and a nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Guna. (Express photo by Naveen Jora)

After giving up his princely titles in 1971, Madhavrao Scindia had joined Bharatiya Jan Sangh (now Bharatiya Janta Party) and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh. Later in the decade, he joined the Congress party and went on to represent his constituency nine times. He represented Guna till his death in September 2001, which marked the entry of Jyotiraditya Scindia into politics. He fought the bye-election from his father’s constituency in 2002 and won the seat.

He was re-elected from Guna Lok Sabha seat in 2004 general elections. In 2007, he was appointed the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology. He was elected for a third Lok Sabha term in 2009 and became Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

Madhvi Raje Scindia, mother of Jyotiraditya Scindia. (Express archives photo)

Scindia is one of the richest ministers of India. He claims to be the sole inheritor of his father’s assets of Rs 20,000 crores.

He got married on December 12, 1994, to Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, the daughter of the royal family of Gaekwad Maratha. He has a son and a daughter.

Jyotiraditya Scindia with Sachin Pilot and Murli Deora in Parliament House in New Delhi. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

Like his father, Scindia is also a cricket enthusiast and was the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. Madhavrao Scindia was the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 1990 to 1993.

Interestingly, his father was part of a rebellion in 1996 and had floated a separate political outfit called Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress, which was part of the third front government in 1996. However, he returned to the Congress fold later.

Today also marks the 75th birth anniversary of Madhavrao Scindia. The Congress remembered the late leader through a post on its Twitter handle.