Sanwar Lal Jat, a Vasundhara Raje confidant and a local stalwart, gets rewarded

BJP stalwart in Rajasthan and a close confidant of state's chief minister Vasundhara Raje, Sanwar Lal Jat, has been given the responsibility of MoS Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

Sanwar Lal Jat made his Lok Sabha debut this year by defeating state Congress chief and Union Minister Sachin Pilot in Ajmer.

The 59-year-old professor-turned politician has been a five-time MLA and till recently held the Water Resources portfolio in Rajasthan government.

During Raje's previous term between 2003-2008, he held portfolios of irrigation and Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana among others. He was also part of the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Ministry in 1993.

Sanwar Lal entered politics in 1990. He won his first assembly election in 1990, and retained his seat in 1993, 1998 and 2003.

He was born in Bhinai block of Ajmer district in January 1955 and won from Bhinai assembly seat in 1990. Though he lost the polls in 2008, he made a comeback in December last year when he won from Nasirabad constituency.

Though he was elected to Parliament, Raje kept him in her ministry and he would regularly appear in the state Assembly and replied to questions.

Till last month's cabinet expansion of Raje government, Jat remained a fullfledged minister though he had resigned from the Assembly, drawing objection from the Congress.

He did M Com and PhD before joining politics and was a commerce professor in University of Rajasthan.

He is currently Member, Standing Committee on Water Resources.

He is married to Narbada and they have two sons and a daughter.

(With inputs from agencies)