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Who is Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan? The first time MP and dalit leader
New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan has made a name for himself in the current political circle. A first time MP from Nagina Lok Sabha constituency, he is also a lawyer, Ambedkarite and a social media activist. The founder of the Bhim Army, he is also the founder President of Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).
To add to his growing stature in country’s political landscape, the US’ Time Magazine also included him in the list of 100 Emerging Leaders who are Shaping the Future. Apart from being a politician and a social activist, Chandrashekhar is also an avid follower of cricket.
Born in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Azad came into prominence as a Bahujan leader after he put up a hoarding near his village. In 2014, he formed Bhim Army along with Vinay Ratan Singh and Satish Kumar, the group that works for Dalits in India. It also runs free schools for the children of Dalit community in western part of Uttar Pradesh.
He went on to form Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) on March 15, 2020, to make the party a part of mainstream politics.
In 2024, Lok Sabha elections, Chandrashekhar was from the Nagina constituency, which was a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency in western Uttar Pradesh. Winning by a margin of over 1.51 lakh votes, he defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Om Kumar from the constituency.
The third position was secured by BSP’s Surendra Pal Singh, who got 1.33% of the votes. The figure was even lower than that of the Samajwadi Party (SP) Manoj Kumar, who got a vote share of 10.22% in the election. In the 2019 general election, BSP's Girish Chandra defeated BJP's Yashwant Singh by a margin of 1.66 lakh votes.
"The BSP has no member in the Lok Sabha now. Azad will raise the issues of Dalits and Muslims in the House. That will help him rise as the leader of Dalits and certainly emerge as an alternative to Mayawati. That will further weaken the BSP," Indian Express quoted an Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) leader as saying.
Chandrashekhar sustained a bullet injury after he was attacked last year. He was reportedly fired at by unidentified car-borne assailants in Saharanpur district. Speaking about the incident, Abimanyu Manglik, superintendent of police (City), said, “The assailants were in a car and opened fire on Azad’s SUV. A bullet grazed his abdomen. He has been admitted to a hospital.” The incident took place when Azad was returning after attending an event. The accused had managed to escape at the time due to the sounds of gunshots. Four persons were later detained by the police.
He was released from jail in September 2018 after being convicted in the 2017 Saharanpur caste violence case. Apart from him, two accomplices of the Bhim Army chief- Shiv and Sonu were also released. Three more members sof Bhim Army were also released earlier. Hundreds of Azad’s supporters had gathered outside the jail, , who walked out of the jail amid chants of ‘Jai Bhim!’
Speaking to ANI, he later said, “Government was so scared that they are going to be rebuked by Supreme Court, that they ordered an early release to save themselves. I'm confident that they'll frame some charges against me within 10 days: I'll ask my people to throw BJP out of power in 2019.”
A first-time Lok Sabha MP, Chandrashekhar introduced a private member bill in the Lower House of the Parliament seeking reservation for the SCs, STs, and the OBCs in private sector, educational institutions, and other establishments that hire at least 20 people and have no financial interest from the government. The bill was titled the Reservation for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes in Private Sector Act, 2024. In his speech, Chandra also highlighted the importance of the private sector in nation-building and the requirement for inclusive growth in the country.
"The private sector plays an important role in the economy of the country. To make sure of equitable growth and socio-economic upliftment, it is crucial to have representation from all sections of society," he said in Lok Sabha.
