Uma Bharti
Personal details
Born	(1959-05-03) 3 May 1959 (age 65) Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Other political affiliations	Bharatiya Janshakti Party
Spouse	none
Occupation	Social and Political Activist

Sadhvi Uma Shree Bharti (born 3 May 1959), is an Indian politician. She was raised by Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior. Along with Sadhvi Ritambhara, Bharti played a prominent part in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. Her signature slogan during the movement was "Dear Ram we will come, and build temple at the place".

At a young age, she became involved with the Bharatiya Janata Party. She contested her first Parliamentary elections in 1984, but lost. In 1989, she successfully contested the Khajuraho seat, and retained it in elections conducted in 1991, 1996 and 1998. In 1999 she switched constituencies and won the Bhopal seat. In the Vajpayee Administration, she held various state-level and cabinet level portfolios of Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs & Sports, and finally Coal & Mines.

In the 2003 Assembly polls, she led the BJP to a three-fourths majority in the Madhya Pradesh assembly. She defeated her Congress opponent from the Malehra seat with a 25% margin. She resigned from the post of Chief Minister in August 2004, when an arrest warrant was issued against her regarding the 1994 Hubli riot case.^[1][2]

Uma Bharti was born on 3 May 1959 in Dunda, Tikamgarh District, Madhya Pradesh. She was educated to sixth standard and describes herself as a "religious missionary".^[3]

In November 2004, Uma Bharti was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party because of her criticism of Lal Krishna Advani.^{[citation needed]} The suspension was lifted and in May 2005, she was appointed a member of the party's national executive.^{[citation needed]} Later that year, she was expelled from the party for opposing the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.^{[citation needed]} She had the sympathy of various BJP leaders, such as Madan Lal Khurana and Sangh Priya Gautam, but was unable to capitalise on it. She drew large crowds during a Ram Roti Yatra and campaigns at various by-elections, and she established a new Hindu-oriented party called the Bharatiya Janshakti Party but both she and the party were unsuccessful in their efforts to be elected.^{[citation needed]}

A section of the RSS, as well as some within the BJP, attempted to bring her back into the BJP fold but neither she nor opponents such as Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj favoured the sentiment.^{[citation needed]} However, she did agree to withdraw her candidates for the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at the request of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief, Ashok Singhal.^{[citation needed]}

She was re-inducted in the BJP on 7 June 2011. She was tasked with reviving the party in [Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the assembly polls in 2012 and to spearhead the party's Save Ganga campaign.^[4][5]

In the March 2012 assembly elections, Bharti won the Charkhari constituency, in Mahoba District.^{[citation needed]}

Uma Bharti revelaed to receive a marriage proposal from former Bharatiya Janata Party ideologue Govindacharya in 1991 prior to enter into sanyas.^[6]

On 25 July 2007, Bharti began a week-days fast protesting over the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project saying that the bridge be saved.^{[citation needed]}

In late November 2011, when the Government of India decided to allow 51% FDI in multi-brand retail and 100% in single brand retail, Uma Bharti threatened Walmart with arson should they enter the Indian market.^[7]

Bharti has held various posts:^[3]

• 1988 onwards: vice-president, Bharatiya Janata Party, Madhya Pradesh
• 1989: elected to the 9th Lok Sabha
• 1990: member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture
• 1990-92: member, Consultative Committee, constituted under the Punjab State Legislature (Delegation of Power) Act, 1987
• 1991: re-elected to the 10th Lok Sabha
• 1991-93: member, Public Accounts Committee
• 1993 onwards: president, BJP Youth Wing
• 1996: re-elected to the 11th Lok Sabha
• 1996-97: member, Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests
• 1998: re-elected to the 12th Lok Sabha
• 1998-99: Union Minister of State, Human Resource Development
• 1999: re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha (resigned on 18 December 2003)^{[citation needed]}
• 13 October 1999 – 2 February 2000: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Tourism (resigned on 2 February 2000)
• 7 November 2000 – 25 August 2002: Union Cabinet Minister, Youth Affairs & Sports
• 26 August 2002 – 29 January 2003: Union Cabinet Minister, Coal and Mines
• 2003: elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Madhya Pradesh^{[citation needed]}
• 8 December 2003 – 23 August 2004: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh^{[citation needed]}
• 2012: elected MLA, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly From Charkhari Seat^{[citation needed]}

• Hindu nationalism

• Official Twitter
• "BJP suspends Uma Bharati" - rediff.com article dated 10 November 2004
• "Uma Bharati in BJP national executive" - rediff.com article dated 28 May 2005
• "India's firebrand Hindu nun" - BBC News article dated 30 November 2005
• BBC article on Uma Bharti's suspension

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