New Delhi: Rajasthan politics seems to be behind Arjunram Meghwal (69) being given an important legal post.
After Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana will hold assembly elections. Among these, the BJP is serious about recapturing the Congress-ruled Rajasthan. The Maghwal community accounts for about 60 percent of the Dalit vote, which is about 16 percent in the state. Thus the Maghwal community vote is likely to bring victory to the BJP in Rajasthan. Due to this, it seems that Arjunram Meghwal has been appointed as Law Minister in place of Kiran Rijiju.
In Rajasthan, there is a tough competition for the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. Arjun Ram is also in this list along with former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Leader of Opposition Rajender Rathod, Union Minister of State for Hydropower Gajendrasingh Shekhawat. Arjunram has been elected MP from Rajasthan for the third consecutive term.
In 1982, he passed the Rajasthan State Administrative Service and worked as a senior officer in various departments. Later he was given the rank of IAS.
He took voluntary retirement before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and contested on behalf of the BJP in Bikaner, which was converted into a separate constituency. Before him, Bollywood actor Dharmendra was the MP from the BJP. In the 2009 elections, Arjun Ram defeated Congress candidate Revat Ram Banwar by a margin of around 20,000 votes.
In 2010, Arjun Ram, who was also part of the BJP National Executive Committee, was appointed as the Rajasthan State Vice President.
In 2013, Arjun Ram received the Sansad Ratna Award for the best MP in the UPA regime. Arjun Ram won the same constituency in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the BJP is hoping that by giving importance to Arjun Ram, it will reap benefits in the Rajasthan assembly elections. According to reports in Rajasthan, the BJP is planning to field Arjun Ram as the chief ministerial candidate of the state and take pride in giving this opportunity to a single party.
Arjunram was sworn in as Union Finance Minister for the first time on July 5, 2016 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was transferred as Joint Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Jalshakti, River Development and Ganga Project on 3 September 2019. In Prime Minister Modi’s second regime, Arjunram was given the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. Then in 2021 he was given the responsibility of the Central Department of Culture. Currently, he is holding the charge of Minister of Special Charge of Law Department.
