Pramod Mahajan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pramod Mahajan
Minister of Communications and Information Technology
In office 2 September 2001 – 28 January 2003
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Ram Vilas Paswan
Succeeded by	Arun Shourie
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office 13 October 1999 – 29 January 2003
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Rangarajan Kumaramangalam
Succeeded by	Sushma Swaraj
In office 16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Ghulam Nabi Azad
Succeeded by	Ram Vilas Paswan
Minister of Defence
In office 16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	P. V. Narasimha Rao
Succeeded by	Mulayam Singh Yadav
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
In office 05 December 1998 – 13 October 1999
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Sushma Swaraj
Succeeded by	Arun Jaitley
Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha
In office 1996–1998
Preceded by	Gurudas Kamat
Succeeded by	Gurudas Kamat
Constituency	Mumbai North East
Personal details
Born	Pramod Venkatesh Mahajan (1949-10-30)30 October 1949 Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad State (present-day Telangana), India
Died	3 May 2006(2006-05-03) (aged 56) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Cause of death	Assassination by gunshots
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse	Rekha Mahajan
Children	Rahul Mahajan Poonam Mahajan
Relatives	Gopinath Munde (brother-in-law)
Residences	Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
As of 5 May 2006 Source: [1]

Pramod Venkatesh Mahajan (born October 30, 1949 – died May 3, 2006) was an important Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was a key leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was known as a younger, modern leader who understood technology well.

Pramod Mahajan served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, which is like the upper house of India's Parliament. He was also a General Secretary for his political party. He ran for the Lok Sabha (the lower house) twice from Mumbai, winning in 1996 but losing in 1998.

As the Minister of Communications and Information Technology from 2001 to 2003, he helped bring about a big change in India. He played a major role in the growth of mobile phones across the country. People also saw him as a very good Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. This was because he had strong relationships with politicians from many different parties. Sadly, Pramod Mahajan passed away on May 3, 2006, after being shot by his brother.

Early Life and Education

Pramod Mahajan was born in Mahbubnagar, Telangana, India. His parents were Venkatesh Devidas Mahajan and Prabhavati Venkatesh Mahajan. He grew up in a town called Ambejogai.

He was the second of five children. He had two brothers, Prakash and Pravin, and two sisters, Pratibha and Pradnya. His father passed away when Pramod was 21 years old.

School and College Years

Pramod Mahajan went to school in the Beed district of Maharashtra. He studied at Yogeshwari Vidyalaya and Mahavidyalaya. Later, he went to the Ranade Institute for Journalism in Pune.

He earned degrees in Physics and Journalism. He also got a higher degree in Political Science. He studied with his friend Gopinath Munde at Swami Ramanand Teerth College.

Family Life

Pramod Mahajan loved theatre, which is how he met Rekha Hamine. They got married on March 11, 1972. They had two children, a daughter named Poonam Mahajan and a son named Rahul Mahajan. Both of his children became trained pilots. His daughter, Poonam, married an industrialist named Anand Rao Vajendla.

Before becoming a full-time politician, Pramod Mahajan worked as an English teacher. He taught at Kholeshwar College in Ambejogai from 1971 to 1974. He then became more involved in politics during a time called the Indian Emergency.

Political Journey

Pramod Mahajan was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from a young age. He became more active in politics in 1970 and 1971. During this time, he worked as a sub-editor for a Marathi newspaper called Tarun Bharat.

In 1974, he left his teaching job to become a full-time worker for the RSS. He took part in protests against the state of emergency in India. Because of this, he was put in jail in Nashik until the emergency ended.

Rising in the BJP

Pramod Mahajan was one of the RSS workers who joined the BJP. He became the general secretary of the BJP's state unit in Maharashtra until 1985. From 1983 to 1985, he was also the All India Secretary for his party.

He ran for the Lok Sabha elections in 1984 but did not win. In 1986, he became the president of the All India Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, which is the youth wing of the BJP. He held this position again from 1990 to 1992. His strong organizational skills helped him rise quickly in the party. He became important first in Maharashtra and then at the national level.

Work in Maharashtra

Pramod Mahajan always aimed for national politics. However, he also worked hard to help his party grow in his home state of Maharashtra. He often worked with his childhood friend and brother-in-law, Gopinath Munde. Munde was married to Mahajan's sister, Pradnya.

Mahajan helped create an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena party. This alliance won the state elections in 1995 and governed until 1999. Gopinath Munde served as the deputy chief minister in that government.

National Role

Pramod Mahajan became very important during the time when different parties formed coalitions in the late 1980s. He gained national attention when he helped organize BJP President Lal Krishna Advani's Ram Rath Yatra in 1990. This was a significant political event.

Even though he was known for helping his party win many elections, Mahajan did not often win popular elections himself. He was elected to Parliament many times, but mostly through the Rajya Sabha. This is the upper house, where members are chosen indirectly. He served in the Rajya Sabha in 1986–92, 1992–96, 1998–2004, and again in 2004. He was elected to the Lok Sabha only once, in 1996, from Mumbai North East.

Serving in Government

In 1996, the Lok Sabha elections brought the BJP to power. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister, and Pramod Mahajan was appointed Defence Minister. This government lasted for 13 days.

When the BJP returned to power in 1998, Mahajan first worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister. He then resigned to run for the Rajya Sabha elections in July 1998, which he won. In December 1998, he became the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and Food Processing.

A year later, in October 1999, he was given new roles. He became Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources. A month later, in November, he left Water Resources and took charge of Information Technology, in addition to Parliamentary Affairs.

Role in Telecommunications

In 2001, Pramod Mahajan became the Minister of Communications. During his time, the number of new telephone connections grew very quickly. The cost of phone services also dropped a lot. This was a period of major change for India's communication sector.

He was later removed from the cabinet in 2003. He then became the General Secretary of the BJP. He said that this was not a step down, but simply a change in his role within the party.

2003 and 2004 Elections

In December 2003, state elections were held in four Indian states: Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Pramod Mahajan was put in charge of the campaign in Rajasthan. The BJP won in three of the four states, which was a big success.

Encouraged by these wins, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called for early national elections in 2004. Mahajan was given the important task of leading the BJP's election campaign. However, the BJP did not perform as well as expected and lost power to the Indian National Congress. Pramod Mahajan took responsibility for this defeat.

Passing Away

On April 22, 2006, Pramod Mahajan was shot by his younger brother, Pravin. This happened inside Mahajan's apartment in Mumbai after a disagreement. He was taken to Hinduja Hospital and had surgery.

After fighting for his life for 13 days, Pramod Mahajan suffered a heart attack and passed away on May 3, 2006. He was given a state funeral in Mumbai on May 4, 2006.

His brother, Pravin, surrendered to the police after the shooting. Pravin was later sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007. Pravin Mahajan died in 2010 due to a brain hemorrhage.

See also

• List of assassinated Indian politicians