Kiren Rijiju: Most prominent BJP face in northeast (Profile)

Kiren Rijiju has been the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the northeastern states.

Rijiju on Thursday took oath as a Union Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new ministry.

The Lok Sabha member from Arunachal West constituency was bound to get a cabinet berth not only because of his political manoeuvre that helped the BJP to make inroads into the state which was ruled by the Congress since its incepetion but also because of his splendid oratory skills that earned him a name in the national politics.

Born to the political family of Rinchin Kharu and Chirai Rijiju, Kiren Rijiju had been socially active since his childhood and he participated in the Festival of India in USSR in 1987 when he was only 16 years old.

Born on November 19, 1971 in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Rijiju studied in the famous Hansraj College of Delhi and also obtained a Law degree from the University of Delhi. He is married to Joram Rina, a graduate from Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi.

Kiren Rijiju first contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Arunachal West constituency and won.

Although he lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections by a small margin of 1,314 votes, Kiren Rijiju again won the seat in 2014 after which he was accommodated as the Minister of state for Home in the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kiren Rijiju defeated former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki by a margin of 1,74,843 votes. While he got 63.02 per cent votes, Tuki could get only 14.22 per cent of votes.

Known as one of the most outspoken parliamentar, Kiren Rijiju is also a fitness freak and has widely travelled.

His video of cycling with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Bollywood actor Salman Khan during the inaugural ceremony of Mechuka adventure festival in Arunachal Pradesh in November last year went viral on social media.

( With inputs from IANS )