edited by: Pathikrit Sen Gupta
Last Update: January 13, 2023, 00:02 IST
Sharad Yadav won parliamentary elections four times from the Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar. File Photo/PTI
Sharad Yadav was the founder of the Democratic Janata Dal. He was the national president of the Janata Dal (United) from 2003 to 2016, when he was expelled for ‘anti-party activities’.
Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Sharad Yadav passed away at the age of 75 on Thursday, January 12. His daughter Subhashini Sharad Yadav confirmed the news on Twitter saying, “Papa nahi rahe (Papa is no more).”
Sharad Yadav was the founder of the Democratic Janata Dal. He was the national president of Janata Dal (United) from 2003 to 2016, when he was expelled due to “anti-party activities”, and also lost his Rajya Sabha seat.
He first won the election in 1974 from the Jabalpur Lok Sabha constituency. Later, he won the parliamentary elections from the Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar four times – in 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2009.
He was defeated from Madhepura four times – twice in 1998 and 2004 by Lalu Prasad Yadav, in 2014 by RJD’s Pappu Yadav and in 2019 by JD(U)’s Dinesh Yadav when Sharad Yadav contested on an RJD ticket.
Yadav was the chairman of the Janata Dal Parliamentary Board from 1989 to 1997. He was the Union Minister for Textiles and Food Processing Industries from 1989 to 1990.
He held the portfolio of Civil Aviation from 1999 to 2001, Labor Minister from 2001 to 2002 and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from 2002 to 2004.
He was one of the accused in the Jain hawala case, but the charges were quashed by the Supreme Court.
Yadav was born on July 1, 1947, to Nand Kishore Yadav and Sumitra Yadav in Babai village of Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Robertson College, Jabalpur, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College.
He married Rekha Yadav on 15 February 1989, with whom he has a son and a daughter.
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