Raghav Chadha, the youngest Rajya Sabha member, is set to tie the knot with Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra. Despite his youth, the 33-year-old Chartered Accountant has emerged as a prominent figure in the political arena. He doesn’t hail from a political dynasty but has made his mark in politics over the past decade, beginning his political journey in 2013.
For Parineeti Chopra, marriage was always on the cards, but she had expressed her reluctance to marry a politician. With Raghav Chadha, she finds herself partly correct, as he is a young politician who operates differently from the conventional political class.
Chadha’s entry into politics was serendipitous when he crossed paths with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal during the final stages of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement in 2013, led by social activist Anna Hazare.
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Chadha, fresh from studying finance at the London School of Economics, met Kejriwal and swiftly became the face of the party on national television.
How did Raghav Chadha rise in the AAP?
Raghav Chadha’s initial assignment was to assist lawyer Rahul Mehra in drafting the Delhi Janlokpal Bill, a task entrusted to him by Arvind Kejriwal during their first encounter.
“I was one of the people who worked on it, although it went through numerous changes,” he noted in the book “Capital Conquest: How the AAP’s Incredible Victory has Redefined Indian Elections” by Saba Naqvi.
In the early days of AAP, while leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas, and others were busy organizing the party, Chadha emerged as the party’s sole representative on national TV channels.
Initially, the media didn’t take AAP seriously, viewing it as an offshoot of the IAC movement that might fade away. However, the 2013 Delhi assembly election results, where AAP won 28 seats and briefly held the Chief Minister’s position, forced people to take the party seriously.
In addition to being a Chartered Accountant, Chadha studied Finance at the London School of Economics, which showcased his competence. He became an articulate spokesperson for the party, articulating his views with conviction. Initially, AAP spokespersons had limited airtime, and Chadha even chose not to appear on certain channels. However, as his popularity surged, he became a frequent participant in debates.
“He aimed to be someone who could bring about significant changes in governance and public policies. His transition from being a Chartered Accountant to a politician was very organic. He possessed a strong understanding of finance, taxation, audits, law, and accounting—skills he could apply to politics,” shared Raghav’s childhood friend and schoolmate, Rahul Choudhary, with The Print.
2024 Elections
In 2019, Raghav Chadha contested the South Delhi constituency against Ramesh Bidhuri but was unsuccessful. However, in 2020, he won the MLA seat from the Rajendra Nagar constituency in Delhi.
In March 2022, Raghav Chadha, along with four others, was nominated as Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, becoming the youngest MP at the age of 33.
Chadha played a pivotal role in AAP’s victory in the 2022 Punjab elections, where he was the key organizer. Following this success, he was entrusted with election responsibilities for the Gujarat elections in 2022, serving as the co-incharge.
His next challenge is to lead AAP in securing the maximum number of seats in the 2024 general elections, even if the party forms an alliance with the INDIA bloc.
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