Arvind Kejriwal Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
Quick Info→
Age: 56 Years
Caste: Baniya
Wife: Sunita Kejriwal
Bio/Wiki | |
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Profession | Politician |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | 5' 5" (165 cm) |
Eye Colour | Black |
Hair Colour | Black |
Politics | |
Political Party | Aam Aadmi Party |
Political Journey | • In November 2012, he laid the foundation of the Aam Aadmi Party. • In the 2013 Delhi Assembly Elections, he defeated Sheila Dikshit from the New Delhi constituency by a margin of 25,864 votes. • On 28 December 2013, he became the Chief Minister of Delhi. • On 25 March 2014, he declared to contest the Lok Sabha elections against Narendra Modi from the Varanasi constituency and lost by a margin of around 3,70,000 votes. • On 14 February 2015, he became the Chief Minister of Delhi for the second time with a huge majority of 67 out of 70 seats. • On 16 February, Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. • On 12 September 2021, he was elected as the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party for the third time. • On 17 September 2024, he resigned from his post of the Chief Minister of Delhi. |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 16 August 1968 (Friday) |
Age (as of 2024) | 56 Years |
Birthplace | Siwani, Bhiwani district, Haryana, India |
Zodiac sign | Leo |
Signature | |
Nationality | Indian |
Hometown | Siwani, Bhiwani district, Haryana, India |
School | • Campus School, Hisar, Haryana, India • Christian Missionary Holy Child School, Sonipat, Haryana, India |
College/University | Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal |
Educational Qualification | Graduated in Mechanical Engineering |
Religion | Hinduism |
Caste | Vaishya (Baniya) [1]NDTV |
Food Habit | Vegetarian |
Address | Resident- 87 Block, B.K.Dutt Colony New Delhi- 110001 |
Hobbies | Reading, Doing Yoga, Vipasana, Watching Movies, Listening to Music |
Awards | Ramon Magsaysay Award (2006) |
Controversies | • Fined for asking details of Narendra Modi's degree: On 31 March 2023, the Gujarat High Court set aside an order directing the Gujarat University to reveal details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree. The court also fined Arvind Kejriwal Rs 25,000 for asking for these details. [2]NDTV • Liquor policy case: On 16 April 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned him for nearly nine hours in the liquor policy case. After reaching home from the CBI headquarters, Mr. Kejriwal told reporters, "The CBI asked me a total of 56 questions. Everything is fake. The case is fake. I am convinced they don't have anything on us, not a single piece of evidence." According to the CBI, during the investigation, C Arvind, the then secretary to Mr. Sisodia, told the agency that Manish Sisodia handed over to him the draft liquor policy in March 2021 at Mr Kejriwal's home. After the then Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal ordered an inquiry, the Delhi government cleared the excise policy. Reportedly, the clearance came after it had been deferred twice, and the CBI wants to find out why. [3]NDTV On 7 February 2024, Delhi Court summoned him as he avoided responding to the ED's summons for the fifth time on 2 February 2024; he was directed to appear for questioning on 17 February 2024. [4]The Times of India On 16 March 2024, he had to appear before the sessions court after the ED moved court against his resistance in appearing before the agency; however, the court granted him bail on furnishing a bond of Rs. 15,000 and a surety of Rs. 1 lakh. Following his bail, the ED issued him 2 more summons. [5]The Times of India On 21 March 2024, the ED arrested him from his official residence in Delhi on the charges of corruption and money laundering, making him the first sitting CM in the country to get arrested. [6]The Hindu - In December 2022, TRS leader K. Kavitha was also summoned in the same case because she was alleged by the ED to be a part of the “South Cartel," a group consisting of Kavitha of Telangana’s ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Magunta Srinivasalu Reddy, an MP from Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress, and Sarath Reddy of Aurobindo Pharma that was backing people involved in Delhi’s excise policy. They were also accused of paying Rs. 100 crore to AAP leader Vijay Nair. In a statement given by ED, it said, "Kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore (approximately) was given by the South group (Ms K Kavitha, Sh Raghav Magunta, Sh MS Reddy and Sh Sarath Reddy) to the Sh Vijay Nair on behalf of AAP leaders in exchange of undue favours in the excise policy 2021-22." [7]The Indian Express - On 1 April 2024, he was sent to 14-day judicial custody. On 9 April 2024, the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea challenging his arrest by the ED; the court said that his remand can't be held to be illegal. [8]The Hindu - On 10 May 2024, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail until 1 June 2024 on the condition that he would have to surrender to the prison authorities by 2 June 2024. [9]The Hindu - On 29 May 2024, the Supreme Court refused to hear his plea seeking a 7-day extension of his interim bail. On 20 June 2024, Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi granted him bail; however, the Delhi High Court stayed his bail order after the ED approached the high court against his bail order. [10]Hindustan Times On 26 June 2024, the CBI arrested him inside Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court in the liquor policy case. On 12 July 2024, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail; however, he remained inside the prison as he was separately arrested by the CBI in a corruption case related to the liquor policy scam. [11]The Hindu - On 13 September 2024, Kejriwal was granted an interim bail by the Supreme Court. Justice Bhuyan criticised the CBI over their actions of arresting Kejriwal some time before his release on bail in the ED money laundering case. • CAG inquiry into the expenditure in the reconstruction of the Chief Minister's residence: In June 2023, the Union Home Ministry ordered a CAG inquiry into the expenditure in the reconstruction of the Chief Minister's residence following a letter from Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena alleging gross irregularities. In the letter, the LG mentioned that the cost, from an estimated Rs 15-20 crore, had gone up to Rs. 53 crore. [12]NDTV In September 2023, the Union Home Ministry directed the CBI to initiated a preliminary enquiry into the matter. [13]India Today • Khalistani funding case On 6 May 2024, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against Kejriwal for receiving 'Khalistani' funding. Governor's recommendation came after the World Hindu Federation India (WHFI) alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received political funding from the banned organisation ‘Sikhs for Justice.’ [14]The Hindu |
Relationships & More | |
Marital Status | Married |
Marriage Date | Year- 1995 |
Family | |
Wife/Spouse | Sunita Kejriwal (IRS officer) |
Children | Son- Pulkit Daughter- Harshita |
Parents | Father- Gobind Ram Kejriwal (Electrical Engineer) Mother- Gita Devi |
Siblings | Brother- Manoj (younger)- Software Engineer in IBM, Pune Sister- Ranjana (younger)- doctor in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Haridwar |
Favourites | |
Street Food | Golgappe [15]Kitchen Tak YouTube |
Cuisine | Chinese [16]Kitchen Tak YouTube |
Sweet Dish | Jalebi [17]Kitchen Tak YouTube |
Food Joint | Taste of Chine, Connaught Place, Delhi [18]Kitchen Tak YouTube |
Actor | Aamir Khan |
Comedian | Kapil Sharma |
Social Activist | Anna Hazare |
Money Factor | |
Salary (as the Chief Minister of Delhi) | Rs. 1.7 lakh + other allowances (as of 2023) [19]The Indian Express |
Net Worth (approx.) | Rs. 2.09 Crore (as of 2015) [20]Rediff |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Arvind Kejriwal
- Does Arvind Kejriwal smoke?: No
- Does Arvind Kejriwal drink alcohol?: No
- After completing his study from IIT Kharagpur, he served in TATA steel.
- He met his wife, Sunita during their Civil Services Training.
- He is a pure vegetarian. He begins his day with Yoga.
- Kejriwal cleared the Civil Services exam in his first attempt.
- He has also worked with the social activist and Nobel Laureate, Mother Teresa.
- One of his classmates revealed in an interview that in college days in Kharagpur, Arvind used to go to slums to teach kids who could not afford to study.
- In 2006, Arvind Kejriwal was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for playing a significant role to enact RTI in India.
- He donated his Magsaysay award money to an NGO.
- During the days when he used to work as an IRS officer, Kejriwal refused to have a peon and used to clean his table himself.
- In 2006, he resigned from the Indian Revenue Service to devote his full time to social services.
- Neither does he celebrates his birthday nor his children.
- In 2011, Kejriwal, along with Anna Hazare, staged India Against Corruption (IAC) movement in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi, to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, which got failed due to political tactics of Congress, BJP, and other political parties.
- After the failure of the movement, Arvind Kejriwal and many other IAC team members decided to launch a political party to fight against the corruption in India. However, Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, and many other IAC team members were against entering politics.
- He has a habit of checking each and every document file, each and every line of documents, marking main lines with the marker and making sure that everything is correct. Once, his Colleagues said that he had cross-checked the Jan Lokpal Bill about 100 times.
- Once his blue Wagon R car was stolen near Delhi Secretariat. Software Engineer Kundan Sharma had gifted this car to Kejriwal. However, it was found abandoned in Ghaziabad.
- On 20 January 2015, while going to file his nomination in the 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections, he had to postpone it for the next day. A similar event took place during the 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections when he had to postpone his nomination; even the date was the same, i.e., 20 January. In both the scenario, the reason given by Kejriwal for the postpone of his nomination was that a huge crowd of his supporters had created almost a traffic jam like situation, and hence, he could not reach the collectorate to file his nomination.
- On 17 September 2024, Arvind Kejriwal stepped down as the Chief Minister of Delhi. He was succeeded by Atishi Marlena.
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