Sunder Lal Patwa (English: Sunder Lal Patwa, born – November 11, 1924, Kukadeshwar; death – December 28, 2016, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) was a Bharatiya Janata Party politician and the former 11th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He was one of the founding members of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Sunder Lal Patwa was the Chief Minister twice – from January 20, 1980 to February 17, 1980 and again from March 5, 1990 to December 15, 1992. He is also considered the political guru of current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Sunder Lal Patwa ji was born on November 11, 1924, 45 km from Neemuch. It happened in the distant Kukadeshwar town. He was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1980 during the Janata Party government and in 1990 during the BJP government. He became MP for the first time in the Lok Sabha by-election held in Chhindwara in 1997. Patwa ji became the Chief Minister of the state for the first time on January 20, 1980. For the first time, during the tenure of the Janata Party government, he remained the Chief Minister till 17 February 1980. After this, BJP government was formed in the state in the year 1990. At that time Sunder Lal Patwa held the post of Chief Minister from March 5, 1990 to December 15, 1992. At that time, due to imposition of President’s rule, he had to leave the post of Chief Minister.[1]
Sunder Lal Patwa, who was active since his student days, became a preacher of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1942. Due to his involvement in the Sangh movement in 1948, he had to spend a few months in jail. As time passed, Sunder Lal Patwa joined the cooperative movement and then he handled many important responsibilities. He remained in jail even during the Emergency. Sunder Lal Patwa, who started his politics from Jan Sangh, later joined Janata Party and then Bharatiya Janata Party.
Sunder Lal Patwa started his political career with Jan Sangh, which merged with Janata Party in 1977. However, after this, the members of Jan Sangh who believed in Hindutva ideology separated themselves from the party and started the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980. He was elected MP for the first time in the by-election of Chhindwara held in 1977. However, he had to face defeat from here in the general elections held in 1998. In 1998, when he was elected MP from Hoshangabad, he was made the Union Rural Development Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Sunder Lal Patwa is also considered the political guru of current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. He remained active in state politics for several decades and even opposition party leaders acknowledged his leadership and understanding of issues. For a long time, he was residing at his official residence in the capital Bhopal.