Manoj Sinha: A performer beyond caste

The crucial meeting is likely to be presided over by the two central observers—Venkaiah Naidu and Dr Bhupendra Yadav.
Manoj Sinha: A performer beyond caste

LUCKNOW: Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party swept the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Manoj Sinha—the BJP Member of Parliament from Ghazipur constituency—has emerged as the strongest contender for the post of the UP Chief Minister.

However, an official word in this regard is expected after the UP BJP Legislature Party to be held in state capital Lucknow on Saturday.

The crucial meeting is likely to be presided over by the two central observers—Venkaiah Naidu and Dr Bhupendra Yadav.

If the BJP MP from Ghazipur adorns the coveted post in the country’s politically crucial state, it will be seen as an appointment based purely on merit.

Sinha has emerged as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ultimate choice, for he possibly qualifies as a Chief Minister beyond caste and regional considerations—like Manoharlal Khattar in Haryana, Devendra Fadnavis in Maharastra and Raghubar Das in Jharkhand.

He perhaps best suits the criteria including performance and delivery set by Modi. Sinha is currently holding the twin portfolios of Minister of State for Railways and Minister of State (Independent Charge), Communications.

An agriculturalist at heart and a silent performer who consciously maintains a low profile, Sinha has been among the best performing members of Parliament in the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.

Recently, he was counted among the seven most honest MPs by a leading magazine. Sinha, a civil engineer and an IIT-BHU alumnus, has set a rare example by utilising his entire MPLAD Fund for the welfare of the people of his constituency.

Sinha was born on July 1, 1959 in Mohanpura of Ghazipur district of eastern UP.  A bhoomihar by caste, he has been actively involved in working for the backward villages of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

His political career got an impressive start when he was elected the president of Banaras Hindu University Students Union in 1982. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1996 and repeated the term in 1999.  Sinha has been a member of the BJP national council from 1989 to 1996. He was elected to the Lower House for a third term in national politics when the BJP swept the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Prior to joining active politics, he was a member of the General Council, School of Planning during 1999-2000. He has also been a member of committee on Energy and member of committee on Government Assurances.

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