Trivendra Singh Rawat (English: Trivendra Singh Rawat; born December 20, 1960, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand) is an Indian politician, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh campaigner and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state. He was elected as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate to the Uttarakhand Assembly from Doiwala Assembly Constituency. After which he was sworn in as the eighth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on March 18, 2017.
Trivendra Singh Rawat was born on December 20, 1960 in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. His father’s name is Pratap Singh and mother’s name is Buddha Devi. His father Pratap Singh Rawat had fought in the Second World War while being a soldier in the Garhwal Rifles. Trivendra is the youngest among eight brothers and one sister. One of his brothers, Brijmohan Singh Rawat, is a postmaster in the post office of the village located in Khairasain, who lives in the village along with his family. Trivendra’s two elder brothers have passed away. Trivendra’s family lives in the ancestral house of the village.
Trivendra Singh Rawat studied till eighth standard in the school of his native village Khairasain. After this, he studied 10th from Satpuli Inter College and then 12th from Inter College, Ekeshwar. Trivendra graduated from Government College, Jaiharikhal, while studied journalism from Garhwal University, Srinagar Campus. While studying at Garhwal University in Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat had joined BJP’s student organization ABVP. His colleagues say that from that time onwards he was a favorite of Sangh campaigners. A Sangh pracharak who was with Trivendra Singh Rawat told that after the Babri Masjid was demolished, there was an atmosphere of tension in Uttar Pradesh and curfew was imposed. In such an environment, he had gone to attend Rawat’s wedding. They got married in December 1992 during the curfew. His wife Sunita Rawat is a teacher and he also has two daughters.
Trivendra Singh Rawat was given the responsibility of Organization Minister in Bharatiya Janata Party by the Sangh in 1993. Trivendra also played an important role in the Uttarakhand movement. He was arrested several times and also went to jail. From 1997 to 2002, he was the State Organization Minister. The post of Organization Minister is given only to someone from the Sangh, whose job is to coordinate between BJP and Sangh. Rawat also worked as OSD to Lalji Tandon in Uttar Pradesh for some time. After the formation of Uttarakhand, Rawat was elected MLA from Doiwala seat for the first time in 2002. In 2007, he again won from Doiwala with record votes and became the Agriculture Minister. During this period, BJP achieved major successes in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and Legislative Council elections. In 2012, he contested the elections from Raipur seat of the state, but lost. In 2013, the party gave the responsibility of National Secretary to Trivendra Rawat. He was defeated in the by-election of Doiwala in 2014, whereas he won from Doiwala in the elections held in 2017, after which he was appointed the eighth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
Trivendra Singh Rawat was associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for about 14 years. Born on 20 December 1960 in Khairasain village of Jaharikhaal block of Pauri Garhwal in a military family, Rawat joined the Sangh at the age of 19. After this he started visiting the Sangh’s branches regularly. In 1981, the ideology of the Sangh had such an impact on him that he decided to work as a preacher only. After studies, he became a Tehsil Pracharak in Meerut and started propagating the ideology of the Sangh. In 1985, he was made the preacher of Dehradun metropolis.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when BJP national president Amit Shah was in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, he trusted Trivendra and made him co-in-charge of Uttar Pradesh. During this time he got a chance to work with Amit Shah. According to Sangh sources, Rawat was made the co-in-charge of Uttar Pradesh because of the way he made door-to-door contacts in Uttar Pradesh during his tenure as a Sangh pracharak. His Sangh’s experience played a big role in the victory of Uttar Pradesh. It was because of Shah that Trivendra Rawat also came close to PM Modi. In October 2014, he was made the state in-charge of Jharkhand. According to sources, at that time Rawat played the role of a strategist from ticket distribution to campaigning and prepared the ground for victory. After this, BJP formed a government with full majority in Jharkhand. Because of this success, the national leadership also recognized his organizational ability.
Trivendra Singh Rawat’s father Pratap Singh Rawat has served in the Roorkee Corps of the Army. Rawat has a strong attachment to the army. He has adopted the daughters of many martyred soldiers. He never misses any opportunity to attend a program related to the Army and ex-servicemen.