Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and former Chief Minister of Delhi, is a politician and an activist. His name emerged popular after the movement against corruption led by activist Anna Hazare, back in 2011.
But do you know that Kejriwal is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur- one of the most reputed engineering institutes in India? Let’s unfold the journey of Arvind Kejriwal – starting from his early life to his entry into politics and later assuming the reins of Delhi government.
Who is Arvind Kejriwal?
Born on August 16, 1968 in Haryana’s Siwani, Arvind Kejriwal was raised in an upper-middle class family. His father Gobind Ram Kejriwal is a retired electrical engineer and an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. His mother’s name is Gita Devi.
Education
Arvind Kejriwal pursued his education at the Campus School at Hisar and Holy Child School at Sonipat, Haryana. In 1985, he cracked IIT-JEE exam and clinched an All India Rank (AIR) OF 563.
Kejriwal went on to pursue his graduation in mechanical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. In 1989, he joined Tata Steel in Jamshedpur. However, he resigned from the firm in 1992, citing to prepare for the Civil Service Examinations.
Kejriwal joined IRS in 1995
After cracking the Civil Service Examination, Arvind Kejriwal joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in 1995. In 2000, he sought two years of paid leave to prepare for higher education. He was granted the leave with a condition that he would not resign from the service for a minimum of three years after joining back.
In 2006, Kejriwal resigned from the post of Joint Commissioner. The government of India claimed that he had failed to follow the agreement made in 2000. Due to this, he had to pay Rs 9,27,787 to the government.
Career as an activist
Arvind Kejriwal’s career as an activist traces back to 1999, when he kickstarted the “Parvartan” movement along with former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. The movement aimed to address common public grievances of the general public.
In 2005, Kejriwal and Sisodia founded ‘Kabir’- a registered NGO, focussed on enhancing participatory governance. Arvind Kejriwal protested against the alleged corruption in the Commonwealth Games, back in 2010- a period that witnessed a massive anti-incumbency against the then-Congress government over corruption charges and many other factors.
It was in 2011 when Kejriwal joined Anna Hazare and Kiran Bedi to start a movement called “India Against Corruption Group (IAC)”. The movement demanded the enactment of Jan Lokpal Bill- which was finally passed on December 18, 2013 after multiple failed attempts.
Delhi elections 2025
In the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections 2025, Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Ministerial face of the Aam Aadmi Party- which has been struggling with 10 years of anti-incumbency, corruption charges and several local issues.
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