Kiran Choudhry is an Indian politician who is a veteran member of the Indian National Congress in Haryana and served as the Cabinet Minister for Excise and Taxation & Public Health Engineering in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Kiran Choudhry was born on Sunday, 5 June 1955 (age 68 years; as of 2023) in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. Her zodiac sign is Gemini. She pursued a bachelor’s degree in arts at Adarsh College, Bhiwani, Haryana, in 1975, and an LLB degree at Panjab University, Chandigarh, in 1986 following which she started practising at the Supreme Court of India; however, she gave it up after 15 years when she was elected the Deputy Speaker of the House unopposed. [1]The Times of India Her entry into politics was often seen as a case of nepotism as her father-in-law, Bansi Lal, was Haryana’s Chief Minister, and her husband, Surendra Singh, was the chief of Haryana Vikas Party, when she came into active politics. In an interview, she talked about this and said,
I”ve worked hard to be where I am today. I”ve been lucky to have a political family. But at the end of the day, you’re on your own.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Kiran Choudhry with other party MLAs come out of the Vidhan Sabha
Family & Caste
Kiran Choudhry belongs to a Jat family in Bhiwani, Haryana. [2]The Print
Kiran Choudhry with her family
Parents & Siblings
Kiran Choudhry’s father, Atma Singh, was a retired officer from the Indian Army. Her mother’s name was Sarla Atma. Her parents passed away due to Covid-19 in 2021.
Kiran Choudhry’s parents
Kiran has two siblings, Ashok Choudhry, and Anuradha Choudhry. Anuradha Choudhry is an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Anuradha Choudhry
Husband & Children
She got married to Surender Singh at the age of 16. He was an Indian politician who served as an MLA of Haryana Vidhan Sabha and also as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He died in 2005 at the age of 59 in a chopper crash during an emergency landing in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. They have a daughter named Shruti Choudhry who turned towards politics after her father’s demise in 2005.
Surender Singh with Shruti Choudhry
Relationships/Affairs
Kiran Choudhry’s relationship with Congressman Jagdish Tytler has always been a subject of much speculation. It is rumoured that once Jagdish Tytler flew from London to Delhi only to celebrate his close friend Kiran Choudhary’s birthday with a gala dinner at a five-star hotel in Delhi. In an interview, Kiran talked about Jagdish Tytler and said,
He is a good friend and confidant.” [3]The Times of India
Address
Ward No 25, Vijay Nagar, Hansi Gate, Bhiwani, Haryana, 127021
Signature
Career
In 1986, Kiran Choudhry joined the All Indian Mahila Congress as General Secretary. In 1998, she was elected as the deputy speaker of the Delhi assembly. In 2004, she lost the Rajya Sabha election to Tarlochan Singh, an independent candidate. She was first elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly from the Tosham constituency in 2005; it was a by-election after the seat was left vacant by her husband’s demise. Kiran Choudhry received 1,25,858 votes, and she defeated her nearest rival Mangal Singh Khreta, an independent candidate, in the 2005 Tosham by-election. Later, she won the Haryana Assembly Election from the Tosham constituency thrice, in 2009, 2014, and 2019. In 2005, she was appointed as the Cabinet Minister of State for Forest, Environment, Tourism and Sports in Haryana. In 2009, she was appointed as the Cabinet Minister for Excise and Taxation & Public Health Engineering. In 2014, the Congress appointed her as the leader of the House in the Haryana assembly.
Kiran Choudhry addressing a gathering in Jind
Controversies
Haryana Forestry scam case
In 2009, Sanjiv Chaturvedi an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer exposed a multi-crore fake plantation scam allegedly involving Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kiran Choudhry, and others, where government money was embezzled. An inquiry committee of the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) found Chaturvedi’s allegations against the Haryana government true following which a hearing was started at the Supreme Court of India.[4]India Today
Bansi Lal’s ancestral property row,2009
A dispute occurred over former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal’s ancestral property. Two weeks after the death of Bansi Lal’s widow, Vidya Devi, who used to live in the house, Bansi Lal’s elder son, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, forcefully entered the ancestral property and got involved in a fight with Kiran’s bodyguard. Later, Kiran was provided with security by the court, after she filed a case against Ranbir. Vidya Devi’s last rites were performed at Ranbir’s house, but Kiran was denied participation in the last rites by Ranbir Singh Mahendra. Kiran then moved into the disputed house for 11 days. Ranbir argued that the house belonged to a trust that was headed by Vidya Devi, and should be converted into a memorial, but a panchayat concluded that Kiran and her daughter had the right to stay there. [5]India Today
Invalid vote row
In 2022, Ajay Maken, the Congress party’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Haryana, lost the election after a vote was declared invalid by the speaker. According to Mr. Maken, it was Kiran Choudhry’s vote. In an interview, while talking about this, Mr. Maken said,
When Kiran Choudhry came out after casting her vote, she herself said she had put a ‘tick mark’ against the candidate’s name. We had seen the ballot number on which the tick mark was put and also checked its serial number, and hence, there is no doubt that the rejected vote belonged to Kiran Choudhry.” [6]New Delhi Television
Awards
- She was awarded the Priyadarshini Award for outstanding work Achievements and contributions.
- She received the ‘Best MLA award for Outstanding Legislator’ award in Delhi Vidhan Sabha.
- Kiran Choudhry was awarded with Best Tourism Minister Award in 2009 by PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association). [7]The Tribune
Car collection
She owns a Ford Endeavour 2009 with the number HR 16G 9838.
Assets/Properties
Movable assets
Cash: Rs Rs 1,92,000
Bank deposits: Rs 1,15,68,000
Shares: Rs 82,07,000
Immovable assets
Agricultural land: Rs 9,46,83,000
Non-Agricultural Land: Rs 1,50,00,000
Commercial Buildings: Rs 3,45,51,000
Residential Buildings: Rs 23,10,00,00
Note: The given estimates are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by her husband and dependents (minor).
Facts/Trivia
- Kiran Choudhry is the founder of Surender Choudhry Memorial Club, which often organises many social welfare camps including blood donation and eye donation camps.
Kiran Choudhry paying tribute to her late husband at Surender Choudhry Memorial Club
- She has played a major role in the development of many tourist destinations in the state including Tikkar Taal, Bheema Devi temple, and the Morni fort.
- Her hobbies include listening to music, reading, painting, writing poetry, and designing her own wardrobe. She only wears custom-made jewellery having rare designs.
- Her favourite subjects are History and Archeology.
- According to Kiran Choudhry, she never misses her meditation sessions.
- According to Kiran Choudhry, it was Rajiv Gandhi who inspired her to come into active politics.
References
