Udit Raj

Udit Raj is an Indian politician and member of Indian National Congress.[1] He was a Member of Parliament between 2014 to 2019 in the Lok Sabha, representing the North West Delhi as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party. Raj is also the National Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations.[2][3]

Udit Raj
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
16 May 2014 – 23 May 2019
Preceded byKrishna Tirath
Succeeded byHans Raj Hans
Parliamentary groupIndian National Congress
ConstituencyNorth West Delhi
Majority1,06,802 (7.88%)
Personal details
Born (1961-01-01) 1 January 1961
Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Political partyIndian National Congress (2019-present)
Other political
affiliations		Bharatiya Janata Party (2014-2019)
Spouse(s)Seema Raj
Children2
Alma materJawaharlal Nehru University
ProfessionCivil servant (Indian Revenue Service), social activist, writer, politician
Websiteuditraj.com

Early life and education

Raj was born in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh.[4] He studied BA at Allahabad University, and went on to study at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi in 1980. He was selected for the Indian Revenue Service in 1988 and served as the Deputy Commissioner, Joint Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Income Tax at New Delhi. On 24 November 2003, he resigned from government service and formed the Indian Justice Party.

Political career

Raj joined the BJP on 23 February 2014. In the past he had opposed the BJP,[5] but after getting a BJP ticket for Lok Sabha, he said that it was more sympathetic to the SC and ST communities and declared that the "Dalits have a brighter future in BJP".[6] On being denied a ticket to contest for the 2019 Indian general election, Raj quit the BJP and joined the Congress, saying that the BJP "is against the interests of Dalits".[1]

Raj, a Dalit, converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in 2001.[7]

References
  1. "Denied ticket by the BJP, Udit Raj joins Congress". Hindustan Times. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. Ashok, Sowmiya (19 November 2014). "Udit Raj to be part of SC/ST 'Maha Rally'". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  3. "Noted Dalit Activist Udit Raj joins Bharatiya Janata Party". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  4. Arpit Parashar (4 May 2011). "One more party for Dalits in Uttar Pradesh". tehelka.com.
  5. Udit Raj (22 June 2004). "Reservation For Dalits In Private Sector". countercurrents.org.
  6. "Dalits have bright future in BJP". The Statesman. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  7. Varagur, Krithika (11 April 2018). "Converting to Buddhism as a Form of Political Protest". The Atlantic. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
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