About Ajit Jogi
Ajit Jogi is an Indian politician who became the first Chief Minister of Chattisgarh, a newly formed state of India. A member of the Indian National Congress (INC) party, he is a practicing Schedule Tribe Christian. At present in the state assembly, he represents the constituency of the Mawahi Scheduled Tribe. He is a gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering from the Maulana Azad College of Technology, Bhopal. He has always associated himself with welfare and development of the backward and weaker sections of society, such as the minorities, the backward classes, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the leprosy patients, and the handicapped. He has written several articles on public administration, poems and stories that were published in newspapers like the Indian Express, The Times of India and the Hindustan Times.
Ajit Jogi met with an unfortunate car accident on April 20, 2004 at a place called Gariabandh about 130 km away from the state capital Raipur. Since then he is on wheelchair, although he is still involved in active politics.
Personal background of Ajit Jogi
Ajit Jogi was born on April 26, 1946 in Vill. Pendra Road of Bilaspur District in the state of Madhya Pradesh. His father is Shri Kashi Prasad Jogi. Ajit Jogi is a gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering from the Maulana Azad College of Technology, Bhopal. His other Qualifications are V.U.(G.M.) from Vikram University, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, and LL.B. from Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He married Dr. Renu Jogi on October 8, 1975 and they have a daughter and a son. By profession he is an educationist, a teacher and a social & political worker.
His favorite pastimes include reading, writing, occult sciences and hunting (which is now banned in India). He also enjoyed swimming, gliding, trekking, horse riding and yoga.
Detailed professional background before entering politics
Ajit Jogi worked briefly at the Government Engineering College, Raipur as a lecturer from 1967 to 1968. He got selected for the Indian Administrative Services and Indian Police Services.
Ajit Jogi Elections result
Year | Constituency | State | Status |
2014 | Mahasamund | Chhattisgarh | Lose |
2009 | Marwahi | Chhattisgarh | Won |
Political Journey so far
- Member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes during 1986-87.
- Member of the Rajya Sabha twice.
- General Seceretary of Pradesh Congress Committee as a member from Madhya Pradesh.
- Member of Committee on Public Undertakings.
- Member of Committee on Industries.
- Member of Committee on Railways.
- Chairman of the State Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Commission of Madhya Pradesh.
- Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Elections Member.
- Committee Member on Transport and Tourism.
- Committee Member on Rural and Urban Development.
- Member of Consultative Committee.
- Member of Ministry of Coal.
- Member of Committee on Public Accounts.
- Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of Energy Convenor.
- Member of Sub-Commmittee on Indirect Taxes.
- In the panel of Vice-Chairperson in Rajya Sabha.
- Congress Parliamentary Party Member Whip.
- Member of Human Resource Development and its Sub-Committee-II on Medical Education Committee.
- Member of Coal Committee.
- Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee's Working President in charge of Chhattisgarh.
- Chairman of the Central Election Committee of Arunachal Pradesh for Vidhan Sabha Election.
- Re-elected for the second time to the 14th Lok Sabha.
- Became Congress Working Committee's Permanent Invitee.
- Member of AICC Task Force on Naxalite Violence.
- Member of Home Affairs Committee.
- Congress party's Central Observer for Lok Sabha elections from Manipur State constituencies in 1989.
- Congress party's Central Observer for Assembly Elections of Sikkim in 1995.
- Chairman of Science and Technology Committee and Environment and Forests Committee during 1995-96.
- Member of AICC Core Group for Parliamentary Elections in Lok Sabha in 1996.
- Congress Party’s Executive Committee Member of Parliament in 1996-99.
- Congress Parliamentary Party’s Chief Spokesman in 1997-99.
- Chief Spokeman of AICC in 1997-2000.
- Elected member of the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998.
- Chairman of departments on Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and other Backward Classes, AICC in October 2000.
- Secretary of AICC for Departments on Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes in 1998-2000.
- Acting President of Congress Committee in Chhattisgarh Pradesh in 2000-01.
- In 2000-03, he was a Member of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly and the first Chief Minister of the state.
- Member of Home Affairs Committee in August 2006.
- Member of Home Affairs Committee in August 2007.
- 2008- Member of the Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh, representing the Marwahi constituency.
Activities and achievements of Ajit Jogi
- In 1967 he was the President of the Students' Union,Maulana Azad College of Technology, Bhopal.
- During 1970 to 1971 he was President of the Student Body of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration in Mussoorie.
- Published books on "The role of District Collector” and "Administration of Peripheral Areas”.
- Written several articles on public administration, poems and stories that were published in newspapers like the Indian Express, the Hindustan Times and The Times of India.
- Associated with organizations related with environment protection; development of tribal and folk art and culture; and youth education, welfare and employment.
- Urban localities, villages, roads and tanks in Shahdol, Sidhi, Indore, Bilaspur and Raipur were named after him by the by the Welfare Committee of State Government Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Madhya Pradesh to recognize Jogi’s contribution and services as a social activist.
- Holds membership in:
- India International Centre, New Delhi
- India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
- President of The Residency Club in Indore
- Madhya Pradesh Badminton Association from 1971 to 1973
- Madhya Pradesh Boat and Gliding Club from 1981 to 1984
- J. F. Cricket Club, Indore from 1987 to 1990
- Indian Delegation to the United Nations for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations, New York, 1996
- Indian Delegation to the Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta, 1996
- Indian Delegation to 98th I.P.U. Conference, Cairo, 1997
- Indian Police Service (Officer), Madhya Pradesh from 1968 to 1970
- Indian Administrative Service (Collector and District Magistrate, Sidhi, Shahdol, Raipur and Indore districts of Madhya Pradesh from 1970 to 1986
- Indo-US Sub-Commission on Education and Culture from 1992 to 1994
- Panchayati Raj Implementation Committee of the AICC
- Court of Jawaharlal Nehru University from 1998 to 1999
- Chairman of the State Government Minor Forest Produce Committee from 1988 to 1990.
- Governing Bodies Member:
- Council of Indian Institute of Technology
- Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
- Education Consultancy of India Limited
- Lawrence Schools, Sanawar and Lovedale
- St. Stephen's Hospital, Delhi
- Christian Medical College, Ludhiana
- Padyatra covering 1,500 km in the eastern tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh to spread general awareness and mobilize support for the Congress Party in 1989.
- In January 1997, to stop the entry of MNCs in the Diamond Mining Sector and awareness among the tribes, Jogi organized Padyatra in the diamond belt from Manipur to Deobhag in the of Raipur District, covering 185 km.
- Holding All India record of the longest serving Collector/District Magistrate for 12 years at the districts of Shahdol, Sidhi, Indore and Raipur of Madhya Pradesh from 1974 to 1986
Controversies
In June 2007, Jogi and his son wherewere arrested in connection with the murder of NCP treasurer Ram Avtar Jaggi who was shot dead in June 2003. In December 2003, after the defeat of INC in Chhattisgarh assembly elections, a sting operation alleged that Jogi tried to bribe some of the BJP MLAs to form a breakaway faction, promising them Congress' support. Subsequent to this Jogi was suspended from the party. However, after five years of the registering of a case against him, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based on an opinion of then ASG Gopal Subramanian said that Jogi could not be prosecuted under any law. However, BJP alleged that Congress led UPA government misused CBI to protect Jogi.
On June 6, 2016, Jogi announced breaking his affiliation with Indian National Congress in the presence of his wife and son in a political gathering in Chhattisgarh.
Awards Won by Ajit Jogi
Giants International bestowed him with "Most Outstanding Man" of the State Award in 1984.
Last Updated on June 04, 2020