Gopal Bhargava (born 1 July 1952) is an Indian politician and a senior cabinet minister in the

Government of Madhya Pradesh Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive, ...

. He was sworn in as a cabinet minister on July 2, 2020, for his sixth term, which is the highest number of terms any minister can complete in the government. He has also been the leader of opposition in the 15th

Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly The Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha or the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Madhya Pradesh state in India. The seat of the Vidhan Sabha is at Bhopal, the capital of the state. It is housed in the ''Vidhan ...

. He is the only person who has served as a cabinet minister for 15 consecutive years in the Government of Madhya Pradesh, India. He belongs to the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

, and has been the

member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

eight times consecutively, representing Rehli since 1985.

Early life and education

Bhargava was born on July 1, 1952, to Pandit Shankarlal Bhargava (Kakkaji). His grandfather was a social activist & leader. He started his primary education at his hometown

Garhakota Garhakota is a town and a municipality in Sagar district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Geography Garhakota is located at . It has an average elevation of 373 metres (1,223 feet). Demographics India census, Garhakota had a p ...

and later moved to Sagar for his higher education. Bhargava holds a degree in B.Sc., MA (

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

) and has completed LLB (Law) from Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar.

Political career

His political career started with his first election to the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

. He was the president of the students union at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Garhakota, in 1965. In 1984–85, he participated in a youth movement for a college building and was imprisoned in Sagar Jail for some time. He was first elected as president to the Garhakota Municipal Council in 1980 and then as a

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

from Rehli in 1984. In 2003, Bhargava was chosen to become the cabinet minister in Government of Madhya Pradesh led by

Uma Bharti Uma Bharti (born 3 May 1959) is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. She became involved with the Bharatiya Janata Party at a young age, unsuccessfully contesting her first parliamentary elections in 1984. In 1989, s ...

. He also became President of MP Agro-Development Corporation, President of MP Agriculture Board, President of State Warehousing Corporation, President of MP state civil supplies corporation, President of Apex Bank MP and many other departments. In 2008, he was sworn in as cabinet minister of Panchayat & Rural Development, Social Justice in the Government of Madhya Pradesh led by

Shivraj Singh Chouhan Shivraj Singh Chouhan (born 5 March 1959), is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the 17th and current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, having been elected to the same position 3 times in the past, and a Member ...

. In 2013, Gopal Bhargava retained the Rehli Vidhan Sabha seat by over 52,000 votes without campaigning, and led the

(BJP) to a third consecutive victory. On December 12, 2013, he was sworn in for his third consecutive term as cabinet minister (most senior, popular & highly decorated, reputed minister, serving same as deputy chief minister of state stand next to Shivraj Singh Chouhan) and again took charge of Panchayat & Rural Development, Social Justice & Co-operative Society. In 2018, he was re-elected from Rehli and became the most senior legislator in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. On January 7, 2019, he was elected Leader of the Opposition in the 15th

. He resigned as leader of the opposition after the BJP formed a government in Madhya Pradesh on March 23, 2020. He was inducted into Shivraj Singh Chauhan's cabinet on July 2, 2020, and was given the portfolio of

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

and Cottage & Rural Industries. He is undefeated in his political career, spanning four decades.

Personal life

Bhargava has been married to Rekha Bhargava since 1981. They have one son and one daughter. His son Abhishek Gopal Bhargava is a politician, was the state vice president of

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) (translation: Indian People's Youth Front) is the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of the two major political parties in India. It was founded in 1978, and its first national president w ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

, and oversees and manages his work in his constituency. Abhishek also claimed candidacy for

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

from the Damoh Lok Sabha constituency in the

2019 Indian general election General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter ...

References

External links

Personal website

Members of Legislative assembly - Vidhan sabha website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhargava, Gopal People from Sagar district Living people Madhya Pradesh MLAs 1985–1990 Madhya Pradesh MLAs 1993–1998 Madhya Pradesh MLAs 1998–2003 Madhya Pradesh MLAs 2003–2008 Madhya Pradesh MLAs 2008–2013 1952 births State cabinet ministers of Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh MLAs 2018–2023