Arjun Ram Meghwal was the BJP's chief whip in the Lok Sabha in 2014
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will contest Lok Sabha elections from Rajasthan's Bikaner seat. A three-time MP, Mr Meghwal is seeking re-election for the fourth term. In 2019, he won the seat by 2,64,081 votes, defeating Congress candidate Madan Gopal Meghwal.
Here are some facts about Arjun Ram Meghwal
1) Born on December 20, 1953, in Rajasthan's Bikaner, Arjun Ram Meghwal studied at a government school and pursued higher education at Dungar College in Bikaner before moving to the University of the Philippines.
2) In 1974, Mr Meghwal worked as a telephone operator in the Post and Telegraph Department while he was studying. In 1980, he cleared the Rajasthan Administrative Service examination and was promoted to the Indian Administrative Service in 1999. Over the next 10 years, he served in various administrative posts.
3) Arjun Ram Meghwal's political journey began in 2009 after he voluntarily retired from the Indian Administrative Service.
4) He was the BJP's chief whip in the Lok Sabha in 2014. Two years later, he became the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Mr Meghwal has also been the Chancellor of Jain Vishva Bharati University since May 2022.
5) Arjun Ram Meghwal, almost always spotted on Parliament premises in his trademark green and orange turban, has been honoured with the prestigious Sansad Ratna Award thrice and the Sansad Maharatna Award. He has also authored several books, including Saviors of Religious, Social, and Cultural Organisations, Jan Sewa Me Arjun Ram Meghwal and Ek Safar Hum Safar Ke Sath.