Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was elected as a lawmaker from Jodhpur in 2014.
A technology-savvy farmer and a role model for the rural community, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
cabinet reshuffle today.
The 49-year-old Lok Sabha member from Jodhpur is a prominent member of the Rajput community and is also known as the 'farmer who wore jeans'.
Born in Rajasthan's Sikar on October 3, 1967, he was the national general secretary of the farmers' wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP Kisan Morcha. His inclusion in the Cabinet comes ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections due next year.
Mr Shekhawat was the co-convener of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the economic wing of the RSS, and the general secretary of 'Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti', an organisation dedicated to strengthen national security by developing border towns and villages. He was also instrumental in setting up 40 schools and four hostels along the Indo-Pak border.
He started his political career as a student and rose through the party ranks after being elected as the president of student union of Jai Narain Vyas University in 1992 under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Mr Shekhawat was elected as a lawmaker from Jodhpur in 2014 with a margin of 4,10,051 votes.
Known for his simple lifestyle and amiable nature, he is popularly referred to as 'Gajju bana' by his followers.
One of his major achievements as a lawmaker has been the expansion of the Jodhpur Airport, a demand that had continuously been raised from the last 18 years.
As an MP, he actively participates in debates in Parliament and is a widely followed political leader on Quora (a popular Q&A blogging site). He has an MPhil and MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.
He was a sports enthusiast and played basketball at national and inter-university level. He was a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee. He was also a member of the All India Council of Sports and the President of Basketball India Players Association.