Arvind Kejriwal

DOB: 16 August 1968
On February 14, 2015, Arvind Kejriwal was ushered in to take on Delhi's Chief Ministerial post for the 2nd consecutive term. He was sworn in as Delhi's youngest Chief Minister for the very first time on December 28, 2013. He is presently running his 3rd term as the chief minister.

Chief Minister of Union Territory of Delhi.
MLA from the New Delhi constituency.
Founder and National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Member, Political Affairs Committee and National Executive.
Winner of the Ramon Magsaysay award.

Early Life

Kejriwal was born on 16th August 1968 in Siwani village, Bhiwani district, Haryana. He was one of the first of three siblings of Gobind Ram Kejriwal and Gita Devi. His father was a BITS Mesra graduate and an electrical engineer by profession.

Education

Kejriwal attended the Campus School in Hisar and Holy Child School in Sonipat for his education. He appeared in the IIT-JEE exam in 1985 and grabbed an AIR of 563. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Kharagpur.

Personal Life

Arvind Kejriwal married Sunita, an IRS official, in 1995. Subsequently, she stepped down as Commissioner of Income Tax in 2016. They have a son and a daughter

Professional Career

In 1989, Mr Kejriwal joined Tata Steel in Jamshedpur, Bihar. He subsequently resigned from the services on the pretext of preparation for the Civil Services Examination. Later on, he volunteered to serve The Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta (Now, Kolkata), where he met Mother Teresa. After passing the Civil Services Examination in 1995, Kejriwal joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in the capacity of an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax. Kejriwal decided to resign when he was Joint Commissioner of Income Tax in February 2006.

Social Welfare

Parivartan and Kabir: While still employed by the Income Tax Department, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and his colleagues founded Parivartan in the Sundar Nagar suburb of Delhi in December 1999. In 2005, Kejriwal and Sisodia formed Kabir, a recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) named after the medieval philosopher Kabir.
Public Cause Research Foundation: Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Abhinandan Sekhri founded the Public Cause Research Foundation in December 2006. He donated the money from his Ramon Magsaysay Award as a seed fund.
Jan Lokpal Movement: In 2011, Arvind Kejriwal established India against Corruption (IAC) campaign with numerous other activists, including Anna Hazare and Kiran Bedi. The IAC called for the Jan Lokpal Bill to be passed, which would create a powerful ombudsman. The campaign gradually grew into the 2011 anti-corruption movement that stirred the whole nation.

Political Career

Kejriwal’s political base had been gathering momentum with his growing popularity amongst the North Indian populace. The Kejriwal-led coterie formally flagged the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012, with Kejriwal spearheading the core group. The name of the party had been derived from the word ‘Aam Aadmi’, whose interests Kejriwal plans to serve. Arvind Kejriwal is now running his 3rd term as the Chief Minister of Delhi with his popular welfare schemes like free electricity, Mohalla clinics, smart schools, and so on.