Sanjay Kumar Jha | |
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Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
Assumed office 4 April 2024 | |
Preceded by | Bashistha Narain Singh |
Constituency | Bihar |
Member of Bihar Legislative Council | |
In office 2019–2024 | |
In office 2006–2012 | |
Cabinet Minister Government of Bihar | |
In office 9 February 2021 –28 January 2024 | |
Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
Ministry or Departments |
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Preceded by | Vijay Kumar Chaudhary |
Succeeded by | Vijay Kumar Chaudhary |
Personal details | |
Born | Jhanjharpur,Madhubani | 1 December 1967
Political party | JD(U) (2012 - present) |
Other political affiliations | BJP (till 2012) [1] |
Spouse | Enakshi Jha |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Patna |
Alma mater | Jawaharlal Nehru University (M.A) |
Profession | Politician |
Sanjay Kumar Jha (commonly known as Sanjay Jha;born 1 December 1967) is an Indian politician from Janata Dal (United). He currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha,representing Bihar,and holds the position of National Working President of the JD(U). [2] He is also the leader of the JD(U) parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha and chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Transport,Tourism and Culture. [3] Previously,Jha served as the Minister for Water Resources as well as Information and Public Relations in the Government of Bihar as a Member of the Bihar Legislative Council. [4] [5] In February 2024,he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha,succeeding Bashistha Narain Singh. [6] [7]
Sanjay Jha was born on 1 December 1967 in Araria Sangram village,located in the Jhanjharpur block of Madhubani district,Bihar. He holds a postgraduate degree from the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He is married to Enakshi Jha,and the couple has three children.
Jha entered active politics in the mid-2000s through the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was known to be close to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley and played a backchannel role during the BJP–JD(U) alliance in Bihar. In 2006,he was elected to the Bihar Legislative Council as a BJP member and remained in office until 2012. [8] [9]
In 2009,he sought a BJP ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Darbhanga,but the party denied him a nomination. Following this,Jha moved closer to JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He formally joined the Janata Dal (United) in July 2012. [10]
After joining JD(U),Jha quickly became one of Nitish Kumar’s trusted aides. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Darbhanga on a JD(U) ticket but lost. He was re-elected to the Bihar Legislative Council in 2019 as a JD(U) representative. [11]
In June 2019,Jha was appointed as Cabinet Minister in Bihar,overseeing the portfolios of Water Resources and Information &Public Relations. He continued in these roles until January 2024,when JD(U) exited the Grand Alliance coalition. During his tenure,he oversaw several significant initiatives,including - The Ganga Water Supply Scheme,The construction of a rubber dam on the Phalgu River in Gaya and The development of Mithila Haat and other cultural promotion projects. [12] [13]
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