Surinder Kumar Choudhary
{{Short description|Indian politician (born 1968)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| office = 9th Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
| term_start = 16 October 2024
| term_end =
| lieutenant_governor = Manoj Sinha
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = Omar Abdullah
| predecessor = President's rule
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Additional ministries}}
| term_start1 = 16 October 2024
| 1blankname1 = Ministry and Departments
| 1namedata1 = *Public Works (R&B)
| predecessor1 = President's rule
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| office2 = Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
| constituency2 = Nowshera
| term_start2 = 8 October 2024
| term_end2 =
| predecessor2 = Ravinder Raina
| residence = Village Nonial, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1968}}
| birth_place = Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| profession = Politician
| party = 20px Jammu and Kashmir National Conference
| otherparty = 20pxPeople's Democratic Party (PDP)
| image = Surinder Kumar Choudhary.jpg
}}
Surinder Choudhary (born 1968) is an Indian politician, currently serving as the deputy chief minister of the Jammu and Kashmir since 16 October 2024.{{Cite web |title=Who Is Surinder Choudhary? Nowshera MLA Picked As J&K's New Deputy CM By Omar Abdullah |url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/who-is-surinder-choudhary-nowshera-mla-picked-as-jks-new-deputy-cm-by-omar-abdullah-2807526.html/amp |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=zeenews.india.com}} He has been a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly since 8 October 2024, representing the Nowshera assembly constituency as a member of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. Choudhary previously served as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP).{{Cite web |date=2024-10-08 |title=Nowshera Election Result 2024 LIVE Update: Assembly Winner, Leading, MLA, Margin, Candidates |url=https://www.news18.com/elections/nowshera-election-result-2024-live-update-9077469.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=News18 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Nowshera vidhan sabha chunav result 2024 live : Surinder Kumar Choudhary From Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Won The Election |url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/nowshera-vidhan-sabha-chunav-result-2024-live-winner-and-losser-candidate-ravinder-raina-total-votes-margin-bjp-congress-eci-jammu-and-kashmir-assembly-election-result-2804195.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Zee News |language=en}}
Career
Surinder Kumar Choudhary was born in a Hindu Jat family in 1968. Before joining politics, Choudhary was an employee of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. He contested his first Assembly election in 2009 from Nowshera. In 2014 elections, he was a Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party candidate for Nowshera assembly constituency and lost to Ravinder Raina of BJP by a margin of 10000 votes.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-16 |title=J&K's new Deputy CM is recent import to NC from BJP, Omar says 'kept promise to Jammu' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/jammu-kashmir-deputy-cm-nc-bjp-surinder-choudhary-omar-abdullah-9622967/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}} In April 2022, Choudhary resigned from PDP and joined BJP. He was general secretary of PDP at the time of his resignation. Choudhary cited reasons such as "people's love and affection" for delimitation under BJP government which divided Nowshera and Sunderbani into two distinct assembly constituencies. However, he quit BJP to join National Conference in July 2023, accusing Raina of "promoting family" and "corruption".{{Cite web |title=Who is Surinder Kumar Choudhary? Here is why Omar Abdullah picked Nowshera MLA as J&K Deputy CM |url=https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2024/10/16/who-is-surinder-kumar-choudhary-here-is-why-omar-abdullah-pick-nowshera-mla-as-jandk-deputy-cm.html |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=The Week |language=en}}
In 2024 Assembly election, Choudhary contested again from Nowshera as a National Conference candidate and polled a total of 35,069 votes, defeating Ravinder Raina by a margin of 7819 votes.{{Cite web |title=Who is who in Omars cabinet |url=https://m.greaterkashmir.com/article/who-is-who-in-omars-cabinet/340273 |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Greaterkashmir |language=en}}
Deputy chief minister
On 16 October 2024, Choudhary was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in a ceremony held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC). The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Choudhary was joined by Sakeena Masood, Javid Ahmad Dar, Javed Ahmed Rana and Satish Sharma on the dais to take the oath of office as ministers.{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/jammu-and-kashmir-assembly/omar-abdullah-sworn-in-as-first-cm-of-ut-jammu-and-kashmir/article68759594.ece | title=Omar Abdullah sworn in as J&K CM; Surinder Kumar Choudhary is Deputy CM | newspaper=The Hindu | last1=Ashiq | first1=Peerzada }} On 18 October 2024, an order was issued by Lieutenant Governor Sinha to allocate portfolios to council of ministers on the advice of chief minister. Choudhary was given the charge of Public Works (R&B), Industries and Commerce, Mining, Labour and Employment, and Skill Development.{{Cite news |last=PTI |date=2024-10-18 |title=J&K L-G allocates portfolios; who gets what in newly inducted Omar Abdullah-led cabinet |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jammu-and-kashmir/jk-l-g-allocates-portfolios-who-gets-what-in-newly-inducted-omar-abdullah-led-cabinet/article68767814.ece |access-date=2024-10-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}
Electoral performance
See also
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhary, Surinder Kumar}}
Category:Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians
Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 2024–2029
Category:Deputy chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir
Category:Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party politicians
Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Jammu and Kashmir
Category:Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council
Category:People from Rajouri district
Category:Bahujan Samaj Party politicians from Jammu and Kashmir