Jyotiraditya Scindia
Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia (born January 1, 1971) is an Indian politician who currently serves as the Minister of Civil Aviation, a job his father previously held from 1991 to 1993. He is also the Minister of Steel and a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh. He formerly served as a Lok Sabha MP, representing Guna district until his defeat in the 2019 election. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Scindia served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a member of the INC from 2007 to 2014. He is also the son of late statesman Madhavrao Scindia and the grandson of Jivajirao Scindia, the final emperor of Gwalior during British control in India.
Early Life and Education
Scindia was born in Mumbai on January 1, 1971, to Madhavrao Scindia and Madhavi Raje Scindia. He is originally from the Kurmi caste. Scindia went to The Doon School in Dehradun and Campion School in Mumbai.
He was admitted to St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, University of Delhi, and then transferred to Harvard College, Harvard University’s undergraduate liberal arts college, where he graduated with a BA in Economics in 1993. In 2001, he obtained his Master of Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Jivajirao Scindia was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Gwalior. Madhavrao Scindia was an Indian politician who served as a minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s ministry. Madhavi Raje Scindia (Kiran Rajya Lakshmi Devi) is his mother. Priyadarshini Raje Scindia is his wife.
Political Career
Scindia’s father, Madhavrao Scindia, was the sitting MP in Guna when he perished in an aeroplane crash on September 30, 2001. On December 18, the INC formally recognised him, and he committed to uphold his father’s secular, liberal, and social justice beliefs. Scindia trounced his nearest competitor, BJP’s Desh Raj Singh Yadav, by about 450,000 votes in the Guna by-election on February 24. He was re-elected in 2004 and appointed to the Union Council of Ministers in 2007 as Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology. He was re-elected for a third term as Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in 2009.
Sincia was named Minister of State for Communication in 2007. Later, in a cabinet reshuffle that included two other princely scions, R. P. N. Singh and Jitendra Singh, he was made Minister of State Independent for Power. Scindia was one of the most successful ministers under the UPA government, with assets of $25 crore (US$3.1 million), including investments in Indian and foreign stocks worth $2 million and jewellery worth $713,831). In 2010, he filed a legal claim to be the sole inheritor of his late father’s property, but his aunts opposed this in court.
It was the responsibility of the Indian Planning Commission to prevent a repeat of the July 2012 blackout in India, which affected over 620 million people (about 9% of the world’s population). Scindia claimed in May 2013 that checks and balances had been put in place to prevent a repeat of the grid failure and that India would have the world’s largest integrated system by January 2014. Scindia lost his Guna seat to Krishna Pal Singh Yadav after being elected in 2014. In 2019, he was named General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh West.
Bharatiya Janata Party
Scindia’s decision to resign from the Congress party on March 10, 2020, set in motion a series of events that culminated in the Madhya Pradesh political crisis of 2020. As a result, Kamal Nath was compelled to quit as Chief Minister on March 23, 2020, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan assumed his place, taking oath as Madhya Pradesh’s new Chief Minister on the same day. Scinidia was blamed for anti-party activities by the Congress party, and other MLAs loyal to him resigned from the INC and their MLA offices.
Scindia was appointed as the Minister of Civil Aviation in the Second Modi Ministry on July 7, 2024, following a cabinet reshuffle. Scindia was designated as PM Modi’s special envoy to Romania during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2024 to manage the evacuation of Indian people in Ukraine. As part of Operation Ganga, he is in charge of coordinating the evacuation of students and Indian professionals through Bucharest and Suceava.
Other Roles
Scindia is the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). After the spot-fixing incident in the Indian Premier League was discovered, Scindia spoke out against corruption in Indian cricket, and Sanjay Jagdale, a member of the MPCA, resigned as secretary to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Madho Rao Scindia, his great grandpa, founded Scindia School in 1897 and currently serves as President of the Board of Governors.
He is also a hereditary patron of Daly College, which was founded in 1870 to educate the children of the kings and aristocracy of the Marathas, Rajputs, Mohameddans, and Bundelas of Central India. Scindia is the director of Madhav Institute of Technology and Science.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Wife
Priyadarshini Raje Scindia is Jyotiraditya Scindia’s wife.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Net Worth
Scindia was one of the wealthiest ministers in the UPA government, with assets totaling US$3.1 million, including investments in Indian and foreign stocks totaling more than US$16 crore and jewellery totaling more than US$5.7 crore.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s House
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s home is in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Election 2019
Jyotiraditya Scindia, a four-time MP from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, was defeated by BJP candidate Dr. KP Yadav.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Daughter & Son
On December 12, 1994, Jyotiraditya Scindia married Priyadarshini Raje Scindia. Mahaaryaman Scindia is the couple’s son, while Ananya Scindia is their daughter.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Family
Jyotiraditya Scindia is the grandson of the late Jivajirao Scindia, the last Maharaja of the Princely State of Gwalior, and the son of the late Madhavrao Scindia, one of India’s wealthiest ministers. Following his father’s death, he claims to be the sole heir to his father’s assets of Rs. 20,000 crores. Jyotiraditya Scindia is married to Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, a daughter of the royal dynasty of Gaekwad, Gujarat, in addition to Maha Aryaman Scindia and Ananya Raje Scindia.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Caste
Scindia, a Kurmi by birth, was born on January 1, 1971, in Mumbai to Madhavrao Scindia and Madhavi Raje Scindia.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Palaces & Property
Jyotiraditya Scindia, a member of the Gwalior royal dynasty, stated a net worth of Rs 2,970 crores when he ran for office. His ancestral residence, the Jai Vilas Palace, accounts for a sizable portion of his fortune. It spans 40 acres and contains approximately 400 rooms. A portion of this palace has been transformed into a museum wing, while the remainder still houses the royal family. Scindia also has 19 acres in Shrigonda, Maharashtra, and 43 acres in Limban Village. His Mumbai property consists of two flats in the Samudra Mahal high-rise totaling Rs 31 crores.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Sister
Princess Chitrangada Singh married Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh, son of Karan Singh of the Royal Family of Hari Singh, the last monarch of Jammu and Kashmir, on December 11, 1987.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Height
In centimeters- 168 cm (approx.)
In meters- 1.68 m (approx.)
In feet inches- 5′ 6. (approx.)