Mahendra Nath Pandey (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian politician who was Minister of Heavy Industries and Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India and Member of Lok Sabha for Chandauli from 2014 to 2024. He is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party and was the president of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit. He has also served as Union Minister of State for Ministry of Human Resource Development between 2016 and 2017. He is a member of Modi's second ministry. On 30 May 2019, he was appointed as Cabinet minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.
Mahendra Nath Pandey | |
|---|---|
 Pandey in 2024 | |
| Minister of Heavy Industries | |
| In office 7 July 2021 – 11 June 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Prakash Javadekar |
| Succeeded by | H. D. Kumaraswamy |
| Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship | |
| In office 31 May 2019 – 7 July 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Dharmendra Pradhan |
| Succeeded by | Dharmendra Pradhan |
| President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh unit | |
| In office 31 August 2017 – 16 July 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Keshav Prasad Maurya |
| Succeeded by | Swatantra Dev Singh |
| Minister of State, Human Resource Development | |
| In office 5 July 2016 – 31 August 2017 | |
| Succeeded by | Satya Pal Singh |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 16 May 2014 – 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ramkishun |
| Succeeded by | Virendra Singh |
| Constituency | Chandauli |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1957 Pakhapur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | Pratima Pandey (m.1985) |
| Parents |
|
| Residence(s) | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Alma mater | Banaras Hindu University (M.A. and Ph.D) |
| Profession | Agriculturist |
| Cabinet | Second Modi ministry |
Early life
edit
Pandey was born at Pakhanpur, Uttar Pradesh to Sudhakar Pandey and Chandrawati Pandey in a Brahmin family.[1][2] He received a postgraduate degree in Journalism and completed his Ph.D in Hindi from Banaras Hindu University.[1] In 1973, he was elected president of the students' union of C.M. Anglo Bengali College. Five years later, he became the general secretary of the students' union of Banaras Hindu University.[3]
Pandey spent five months in prison during the Emergency.[4][5] In 1978, he joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[5] He took part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and was booked under the National Security Act by the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led state government.[5]
In 1991, Pandey was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time.[3] In 1996, he was re-elected to the assembly. He received the portfolio of Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development the following year in the Kalyan Singh ministry. He also served as Minister of State for Planning (Independent charge) between 1998 and 2000, and Minister of State, Panchayati Raj between 2000 and 2002.[6]
Ahead of the 2014 Indian general election, Bharatiya Janata Party announced that Pandey would contest from the Chandauli constituency of Purvanchal.[7] He was elected to the Lok Sabha after defeating his nearest rival Anil Maurya of the Bahujan Samaj Party by a margin of approximately 150,000 votes.[3][5] Subsequently, he was made a member of Standing Committee on Rural Development and Consultative Committee for Ministry of Steel and Mines.[8]
On 5 July 2016, in a major cabinet reshuffle, Pandey took the oath of office as Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development in the First Modi ministry.[9][10] On 31 August 2017, he was replaced by Satyapal Singh.[11] That same day, he was appointed president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He replaced Keshav Prasad Maurya.[12]
In the Cabinet announcement made on 31 May 2019, Pandey has been given the post of Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the 17th Lok Sabha under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[13][14]
Personal life
editPandey's family originally hails from the village of Pakhanpur.[4] He married Pratima Pandey on 8 February 1985 and they have one daughter.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey appointed UP BJP chief". Live Mint. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "मोदी के मंत्री को मिली नई जिम्मेदारी, डॉ महेन्द्र पांडेय बने यूपी बीजेपी के अध्यक्ष" [Modi's minister gets new responsibility, Dr. Mahendra Pandey becomes the president of UP BJP] (in Hindi). Dainik Bhaskar. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ a b "ऐसे ही नहीं दी गई है महेंद्रनाथ पांडेय को उत्तर प्रदेश बीजेपी की कमान, इसके पीछे हो सकती है एक रणनीति" [Mahendra Nath Pandey has simply been not made BJP President of Uttar Pradesh, behind it there might be a strategy] (in Hindi). NDTV. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d Sharma, Aman (1 September 2017). "BJP picks up Brahmin face Mahendra Nath Pandey to head UP unit ahead of LS polls". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Mahendra Nath Pandey: BJP's Brahmin Face in UP". Outlook India. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "BJP directs Modi wave at eastern UP". The Hindu Business Line. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Uprety, Ajay (1 September 2017). "BJP keeps Brahmins in UP happy by making Mahendra Pandey state chief". The Week. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Katiyar, Prema (10 July 2016). "Meet these three new ministers who have found berths in various ministries". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Modi Cabinet reshuffle 2016: Modi surprises – Smriti Irani loses HRD, VK Singh deprived of MoS N-E charge". The Financial Express. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Modi's Cabinet reshuffle: Meet the nine new faces". The Economic Times. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Mahendra Nath Pandey Appointed Uttar Pradesh BJP Chief". NDTV. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Mahendra Nath Pandey gets Skill Development". Deccan Herald. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019