Kailash Vijayvargiya

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Kailash Vijayvargiya
File:Kailash Vijayvargiya BJP.jpg
Office Cabinet Minister
Madhya Pradesh Government



Office Member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly




Predecessor O. P. S. Bhadoria






Born 1956-5-13 (age 70)
Born Indore, Madhya Bharat, India
(now in Madhya Pradesh, India)





Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse Asha Vijayvargiya
Children 2 (including Akash Vijayvargiya)
Alma mater Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore


Website Template:Official website

Kailash Vijayvargiya (born 13 May 1956) is an Indian politician Serving as the Cabinet Minister of Madhya Pradesh (Bharatiya Janata Party).[1] He started his political career in the Indore Bharatiya Janata Party, and was the mayor of Indore, a six-time legislator and a state government cabinet minister for over 12 years before being elevated to the party's central leadership.[2]

Kailash Vijayvargiya was made in charge of BJP's election campaign for Haryana in 2014,[3] after which BJP gained a majority in the assembly election. This victory allowed him to gain a more central role in party leadership, and in June 2015 he was appointed national general secretary by party president Amit Shah,[4] and the new leader of the BJP in West Bengal.[5]

Personal life

Kailash Vijayvargiya was born on 13 May 1956 to Shankardayal Vijayvargiya in Indore. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and later earned an LLB. Vijayvargiya is married to Asha Vijayvargiya, with whom he has two sons, including politician Akash Vijayvargiya.[6] He built world's highest Octa metal statue of Hanuman in Indore.[7]

Political career

Kailash Vijayvargiya entered politics through Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1975. He became a corporator of the Indore Municipal Corporation in 1983 and a member of the standing committee in 1985. He has been the state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP, and Indore, and the co-ordinator of State BJP legal cell. He became the state co-ordinator of Vidyarthi Parishad in 1985, state vice-president of the BJYM in 1992, and the national general secretary of the BJYM and the leader of Gujarat in 1993. Vijayvargiya was elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013.[8]

He was in charge of the BJP's Haryana state assembly election campaign in 2014, when the party registered its first win in the Haryana state assembly election, taking BJP's tally from 4 to 47 seats.[9] He was named the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the party leader for West Bengal in 2015.[10][11] He was included in the top 100 influential person list of India for year 2021.[12] He was considered as a game changer for BJP in West Bengal as party won 18 seats in 2019 Lok sabha election.[13]

Mayor

Kailash Vijayvargiya became the first directly elected mayor of Indore Municipal Corporation in 2000. He was nominated president of the South Asia Mayors’ Council in 2003, and led the Indian Voluntary Organisation’s team at the World Earth Summit in Durban.[8]

He served as the Mayor of Indore after being elected in the year 2000. He assumed office at the age of 44, making him one of the youngest individuals to have held the mayoral position in the city during the era of directly elected mayors.[14]

In comparison, an earlier political figure from Indore, Narayan Prasad Shukla, became Mayor of Indore at the age of 27, a record that places him among the youngest mayors in the city’s political history.[15]

The current Mayor of Indore is Pushyamitra Bhargav, who was elected in the 2022 Indore Municipal Corporation elections and assumed office at the age of 40.[16]

State cabinet minister

Kailash Vijayvargiya was sworn in as cabinet minister in Madhya Pradesh Government on 8 December 2008, and given portfolios of Public Works, Parliamentary Affairs, Urban Administration and Development. He was given a portfolio of Religious Trusts, Endowment, and Rehabilitation on 1 July 2004. Vijayvargiya again joined Babulal Gaur's Council of Ministers as Public Works Minister on 27 August 2004. He was re-inducted into Shivraj Singh Chouhan's Council of Ministers on 4 December 2005, as a Public Works, Information Technology, and Science & Technology Minister.[6]

In the second cabinet under Shivraj Singh Chouhan (post-2008 elections), Vijayvargiya held portfolios of IT and Industries. In the third cabinet (post-2013 elections), Vijayvargiya held the portfolio of Urban Development.[17][18] He brought TCS, Infosys and more than 17 IT companies to Indore.[19] Global investor Meet in MP was one of the biggest initiatives during his tenure as an Industry Minister.[20] Involved in finalizing 259 MOUs for setting up projects worth Rs 4.31 trillion.

Controversies

Indore water contamination incident

Between December 2025 and January 2026, at least 18 people died and over 2,000 residents fell ill after consuming contaminated drinking water in the Bhagirathpura area of Indore.[21] The contamination was caused by a leak in the main pipeline near a public toilet, which led to sewage mixing with the water supply. Despite multiple complaints from residents in the weeks leading up to the incident, there was no remedial action taken by the administration.[22][23]

During an interaction with NDTV journalist Anurag Dwary, Vijayvargia was questioned regarding accountability and the growing public health concerns. In respone, Vijayvargia dismissed the questions as "useless" and used a derogatory term "ghanta" while responding to Dwary.[24] A video of the exchange was initially broadcast by NDTV and quickly went viral online. However, when the channel later removed the video from its platforms, it was criticised for failing to stand by its reporter due to the channel's perceived closeness to the Bharatiya Janata Party.[25] The incident renewed debate about media independence and the treatment of journalists who question those in power.[26] Vijayvargia later issued a public apology for his remarks.[27]

Vijayvargia was involved in further controversy after the suspension of Anand Malviya, the sub-divisional magistrate of Dewas, who had cited Vijayvargia's statement verbatim – including the derogatory term "ghanta" – and described Vijayvargia's remarks as "inhuman and authoritarian" in his official report.[28][29][30] Malviya's suspension was viewed by many as retaliation for portraying Vijayvargia and the government in embarrasing light.[31][32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Office Bearers, Administrator. www.bjp.org. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. ↑ BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya Makes Friends and Controversies Easily. NDTV.com. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. ↑ MP minister Vijayvargiya appointed BJP's election in-charge for Haryana. www.hindustantimes.com(26 August 2014). Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  4. ↑ MP minister Kailash Vijayvargiya appointed BJP general secretary. Business Standard India(17 June 2015). Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ↑ BJP affairs in-charge: Siddharth Nath Singh loses Bengal to Kailash Vijayvargiya, gets Andhra. The Indian Express(4 July 2015). Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 耂वजयवग틽ᘂय, ꈅी कैलाश. mpvidhansabha. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Lord Hanuman's 72 feet high octa-metal statue built in Indore. www.business-standard.com.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Department Of Public Relations, Madhya Pradesh. www.mpinfo.org. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Haryana election result: BJP wins 46 seats, gets majority. India Today(18 October 2014). Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. ↑ BJP brings Kailash Vijayavargiya as in-charge for Bengal unit. The Economic Times(3 July 2015). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Kailash Vijayvargiya appointed observer of Bengal BJP. The Hindu(5 July 2015). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ↑ IE100: The list of most powerful Indians in 2021. The Indian Express(2021-03-28). Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  13. ↑ West Bengal results: With 18 seats, 40% vote share, BJP breathes down Trinamool Congress's neck(24 May 2019).
  14. ↑ [/wiki/Kailash_Vijayvargiya Kailash Vijayvargiya]. Bharatpedia. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  15. ↑ [/wiki/Narayan_Prasad_Shukla Narayan Prasad Shukla]. Bharatpedia. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ↑ [/wiki/Pushyamitra_Bhargav Pushyamitra Bhargav]. Bharatpedia. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Chouhan allocates portfolios, Gaur gets Home - Indian Express. archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  18. ↑ बंगाल में हार से BJP में कम नहीं हुआ कैलाश विजयवर्गीय का कद, बने रहेंगे राष्ट्रीय महासचिव.
  19. ↑ MoU with TCS, Infy: Minster. The Times of India(2012-01-09). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  20. ↑ Madhya Pradesh hosts Global Investors' Summit Inauguration 2012. Kailash Vijayvargiya. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  21. ↑ Toxic water: Kin of 18 dead get Rs 2 lakh compensation each; panel links 6 deaths to contamination. The Times of India(2026-01-07). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  22. ↑ Indore's Water Deaths Expose the Rot Beneath the 'Cleanest City' Tag, Mishra, Anand. Frontline(2026-01-02). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  23. ↑ 'Sin, Demands Repentance': BJP's Uma Bharti On Indore Water Tragedy. NDTV(2 January 2026). Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  24. ↑ Journalist takes on Kailash Vijayvargiya over Indore diarrhoea deaths, minister loses cool, later regrets. The Telegraph(1 January 2026). Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  25. ↑ Abhishek Banerjee slams news channel for deleting video of BJP minister Kailash Vijayvargiya abusing journalist. The Telegraph(1 January 2026). Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  26. ↑ No primetime debate on NDTV for Indore water contamination story, despite editor's viral moment. Newslaundry(2026-01-02). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  27. ↑ MP: BJP minister says 'ghanta' during verbal clash with journo, apologises, Lasania, Yunus. The Siasat Daily(2026-01-01). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  28. ↑ Ujjain SDM who called Kailash Vijayvargiya's 'ghanta' comment 'authoritarian behaviour' suspended. The Indian Express(2026-01-05). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  29. ↑ Indore water contamination: Official suspended over reference to 'ghanta' row. The Hindu(2026-01-05). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  30. ↑ SDM suspended after calling Kailash Vijayvargiya's 'Ghanta' remark on Indore deaths 'inhuman and authoritarian', Service, Statesman News. The Statesman(2026-01-05). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  31. ↑ Calling Minister Vijayvargiya's 'ghanta' remark as 'indecent' in an official order leads to SDM's suspension in MP, Service, Express News. The New Indian Express(2026-01-05). Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  32. ↑ 'Ghanta' Remark Enters MP Govt Records, SDM and Typist Suspended, Choudhury, Rabindra Nath. www.deccanchronicle.com(2026-01-05). Retrieved 2026-01-07.

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