Sakshi Maharaj

Guiding society through religious teachings

Sakshi Maharaj is an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a Member of Parliament (MP) from Lok Sabha. He has been a member of Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2006. Sakshi Maharaj is also a well-known religious leader who has pledged his support to fight against a wide variety of religious issues such as cow slaughter, love jihad, religious conversions, etc. His headstrong personality and his radical political and religious views have received a mixed response, with many supporting him tooth and nail whereas others criticizing his words. However, Sakshi Maharaj has emerged triumphant every time, most recently in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where he won from Unnao constituency. It goes on to show that challenges are a part and parcel of a politician’s life and Sakshi Maharaj is one of those adept leaders who knows how to transform challenges into opportunities.

Early Life and Education

Sakshi Maharaj was born in Sakshi Dham, Jalilpur, district Kanshiram Nagar, Uttar Pradesh on January 12, 1956 to Swami Atmanandji Maharaj Premi and Madalasa Devi Lodhi. His academic qualifications include Vedant Visharad (Inter), Shastri (B.A.), Acharya (M.A.), and Vidya Varidhi (Ph.D.). He has received his education from Chandigarh University, Kurukshetra University, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Delhi and Maharshi Vedanu Sansthanam, Delhi. Sakshi Maharaj remains to be unmarried.

Political Career

Sakshi Maharaj belongs to the Lodh community and had earlier worked with prominent leaders from the community such as Kalyan Singh and Kalraj Mishra. He was involved in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which was a key BJP agenda in the 1990s.

• 1991-96: Elected to 10th Lok Sabha
• 1996-97: Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
• 1998-99: Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
• 2000 – 2006: Elected to Rajya Sabha
• 2000-01: Member, Standing Committee on Commerce
• 2000 – Feb. 2004: Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• 2002: Member, Standing Committee on Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution
• 2003 – Feb. 2004: Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture
• 2005: Member, Standing Committee on Coal and Mines
• May, 2014: Re-elected to 16th Lok Sabha (4th term)
• 1 Sep. 2014 onwards: Member, Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution; Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• 28 July 2016 onwards: Member, Committee on the Welfare of Other Backward Classes

Personal pursuits

Sakshi Maharaj likes to write and has authored several books. He has interests in satsang, Vedanta discourses and religious teachings. Swimming is one of his favorite pastimes and he also practices Yoga on a regular basis.