Gopal Bhargava

Gopal Bhargava (born on July 1, 1952) is an Indian politician and a senior cabinet minister in the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He was sworn in as a cabinet minister on July 2, 2020, for his sixth term, which is the highest number of terms any minister can complete in the government. He has also been the leader of opposition in the 15th Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly.[1] He is the only person who has served as a cabinet minister for 15 consecutive years in the Government of Madhya Pradesh, India. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and has been the member of the Legislative Assembly eight times consecutively, representing Rehli since 1985.[2][3][4]

Gopal Bhargava
Gopal Bhargava
Cabinet Minister
Public Works Department
Cottage and Rural Industries
Madhya Pradesh Government
Assumed office
2 July 2020
Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan
Preceded bySajjan Singh Verma
Harsh Yadav
Leader Of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
In office
7 January 2019 – 23 March 2020
Preceded byAjay Arjun Singh, INC
Succeeded byKamal Nath
Minister of Panchayats & Rural Development, Social Justice & Disabled Welfare, Minister of Cooperatives
Madhya Pradesh Government
In office
11 December 2008 – 12 December 2018
Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan
Succeeded byLakhan Ghanghoria,
Kamleshwar Patel,
Pradhuman Singh Tomar
Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Minister of Cooperatives, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Religious Trust & Endowment
Madhya Pradesh Government
In office
8 December 2003 – 10 December 2008
Chief MinisterUma Bharti
Babulal Gaur
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Succeeded byRamkrishna Kusmaria
Paras Chandra Jain
Umashankar Gupta
Member of the Legislative Assembly
Madhya Pradesh
Assumed office
1985
Preceded byMahadev Prasad Manoharlal
Personal details
Born (1952-07-01) 1 July 1952
Garhakota, Madhya Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)Rekha Bhargava
ChildrenAbhishek Gopal Bhargava
3 Daughters
ParentsSushila Devi Bhargava
Shankarlal Bhargava
ResidenceGarhakota District. Sagar (M.P.)
& Bhopal (M.P.)
Websitewww.gopalbhargava.in

Early life and education

Bhargava was born on July 1, 1952, to Pandit Shankarlal Bhargava (Kakkaji). His grandfather was a social activist & leader. He started his primary education at his hometown Garhakota and later moved to Sagar for his higher education. Bhargava holds a degree in B.Sc., MA (Political Science) and has completed LLB (Law) from Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar.[5]

Political career

His political career started with his first election to the Municipal Council in Garhakota. He was the president of the students union at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Garhakota, in 1965. In 1984–85, he participated in a youth movement for a college building and was imprisoned in Sagar Jail for some time.

He was first elected as president to the Garhakota Municipal Council in 1980 and then as a Member of Legislative Assembly from Rehli in 1984. In 2003, Bhargava was chosen to become the cabinet minister in Government of Madhya Pradesh led by Uma Bharti. He also became President of MP Agro-Development Corporation, President of MP Agriculture Board, President of State Warehousing Corporation, President of MP state civil supplies corporation, President of Apex Bank MP and many other departments.

In 2008, he was sworn in as cabinet minister of Panchayat & Rural Development, Social Justice in the Government of Madhya Pradesh led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

In 2013, Gopal Bhargava retained the Rehli Vidhan Sabha seat by over 52,000 votes without campaigning, and led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a third consecutive victory. On December 12, 2013, he was sworn in for his third consecutive term as cabinet minister (most senior, popular & highly decorated, reputed minister, serving same as deputy chief minister of state stand next to Shivraj Singh Chouhan) and again took charge of Panchayat & Rural Development, Social Justice & Co-operative Society.

In 2018, he was re-elected from Rehli and became the most senior legislator in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.

On January 7, 2019, he was elected Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He resigned as leader of the opposition after the BJP formed a government in Madhya Pradesh on March 23, 2020. He was inducted into Shivraj Singh Chauhan's cabinet on July 2, 2020, and was given the portfolio of Public Works Department and Cottage & Rural Industries. He is undefeated in his political career, spanning four decades.

Personal life

Bhargava has been married to Rekha Bhargava since 1981. They have one son and three daughters.

His son Abhishek Gopal Bhargava is a politician, was the state vice president of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha in Madhya Pradesh, and oversees and manages his work in his constituency. Abhishek also claimed candidacy for Member of Parliament from the Damoh Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 Indian general elections.

References
  1. "BJP Picks 'RSS Man' Gopal Bhargav as Leader of Opposition in MP Assembly". News18. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. Nath, Damini (16 October 2019). "ECI advises Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Gopal Bhargava to be 'more careful'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. "MP minister Gopal Bhargava sixth in Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet to test coronavirus positive". India Today. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. "Video: मंत्री गोपाल भार्गव का दिखा अलग अंदाज, ग्वालों के साथ जमकर किया 'दिवारी नृत्य'". Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh (in Hindi). 29 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  5. "Gopal Bhargava's son calls for liquor free Madhya Pradesh, announces anti-liquor squad post-Navratra". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
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