Parasram Maderna

Parasram Maderna (23 July 1926 – 16 February 2014) was an Indian politician who was a nine-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Rajasthan between 1957 and 2003. He was the Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2004 and a three-time Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. A senior Jat leader, he served as a Cabinet Minister in the Rajasthan government for several portfolios.^[2] He also served as the President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee from 1989 to 1994. He was an MLA from the Bhopalgarh constituency six times, which included four consecutive terms from 1967 to 1985. He also served as MLA twice from the Osian constituency and once from the Gudamalani constituency.

Parasram Maderna
Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
In office 6 January 1999 - 15 January 2004
Chief Minister	Ashok Gehlot
Preceded by	Samrath Lal Meena
Succeeded by	Sumitra Singh
Constituency	Bhopalgarh
Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
In office 1998–2003
Preceded by	Ramnarayan Dudi
Succeeded by	Mahipal Maderna
Constituency	Bhopalgarh
In office 1993–1998
Preceded by	Madan Kaur
Succeeded by	Hema Ram
Constituency	Gudamalani
In office 1990–1993
Preceded by	Narayan Ram Bera
Succeeded by	Ramnarayan Dudi
Constituency	Bhopalgarh
In office 1967–1985
Preceded by	Constituency Established
Succeeded by	Narayan Ram Bera
Constituency	Bhopalgarh
In office 1957–1967
Preceded by	Constituency Established
Succeeded by	Ranjeet Singh
Constituency	Osian
Leader of Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
In office 31 December 1993 – 30 November 1998
Preceded by	Hari Dev Joshi
Succeeded by	Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
In office 16 February 1979 – 29 August 1979
Preceded by	Ram Narayan Chaudhary
Succeeded by	Laxman Singh
In office 18 July 1977 – 3 November 1978
Preceded by	Laxman Singh
Succeeded by	Ram Narayan Chaudhary
President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee
In office 1989–1994
Preceded by	Ashok Gehlot
Succeeded by	Ashok Gehlot
Cabinet Minister, Government of Rajasthan
In office 1982–1985
Chief Minister	Shiv Charan Mathur
Ministry and Departments	Ground Water, Irrigation and PHED
In office 1981–1982
Ministry and Departments	Energy, Flood & Famine, Irrigation, Land Reforms, PHED and Revenue
In office 1966–1977
Chief Minister	Mohan Lal Sukhadia
Ministry and Departments	Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Colonization, Community Development, Cooperative, Famine, Flood, Forest, General Administration, Local Bodies, Panchayat Raj, Rehabilitation, Revenue and Sheep & Wool
Personal details
Born	(1926-07-23)23 July 1926 Chadi, Jodhpur State, British India (present-day Rajasthan, India)
Died	16 February 2014(2014-02-16) (aged 87) Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Chhoti Devi
Children	4, including Mahipal Maderna
Parent	Natha Ram (father)
Education	M.A., LL.B.
Alma mater	University of Lucknow
Nickname	saab[1]

Early and personal life

Maderna was born on 23 July 1926 in Chadi village of the present-day Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. He received his Bachelor of Laws and post-graduation degrees from the University of Lucknow.^[3][4][5]

Maderna married Chhoti Devi.^[3] They had two daughters and two sons, including the politician Mahipal Maderna.^[6] His granddaughter Divya Maderna is also a politician.^[7]

Career

Freedom struggle

During his postgraduate studies, Maderna actively engaged in Indian independence movement after taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Upon his return to Rajasthan, he aligned himself with Baldev Ram Mirdha, a prominent Jat leader, to initiate a large-scale agrarian movement through the Marwar Kisan Sabha and later the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha. This collaborative effort resulted in the abolition of Jagirs in the former Marwar and Mewar estates, empowering cultivating farmers to become owners of their land.^[4]

Political career

Maderna's political career started after India's independence when the Kisan Sabha got merged with the Indian National Congress.^[4] Although his first election in 1952 from the Osian Assembly constituency ended in defeat, his public service journey officially commenced in 1953 when he was elected as the Sarpanch of his native village, Chadi.^[4][8]

After losing his first election from the Osian Assembly constituency, Maderna again contested from that constituency, securing back-to-back victories in 1957 and 1962. Bhopalgarh Assembly constituency was created in 1967 and Maderna represented that constituency as an MLA from 1967 to 1985 after winning four successive elections from there.^[9] However, he faced a setback in the 1985 election, where he was defeated by Narayan Ram Bera. Maderna made a comeback by winning the next three elections, once from the Gudamalani Constituency in 1993 and twice from the Bhopalgarh constituency in 1990 and 1998.^[3][4][8]

In 1966, the Government of Rajasthan entrusted Maderna with key ministerial responsibilities, assigning him a diverse portfolio that included General Administration, Panchayat Raj, Agriculture, Revenue, Animal Husbandry, Cooperative, Flood, Forest, Famine, Community Development, Sheep & Wool, Colonization, Local Bodies, and Rehabilitation. He served in this role until 1977. Later, from 1981 to 1985, he was once again appointed as a Cabinet Minister, overseeing portfolios such as Revenue, Irrigation, Land Reforms, Flood & Famine, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), and Energy.^[3][4]

In the 1998 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, Congress secured a clear majority by winning 153 out of 200 seats. Maderna was the leader of the opposition at that time and Ashok Gehlot was the chief of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee. Gehlot did not contest in that election and Maderna won his seat from the Bhopalgarh constituency. An All India Congress Committee (AICC) was constituted in November 1998 to decide the Chief minister of Congress. It was headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Madhavrao Scindia, Mohsina Kidwai, and R. L. Bhatia. They organized a meeting with all of the elected Congress legislators at the state party headquarters. It was agreed in the meeting that the Congress president Sonia Gandhi would decide the CM. She selected Ashok Gehlot for the CM post.^[10][11][12] In January 1999, Maderna was elected Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly unanimously.^[13]

His political career also included several notable leadership roles within the Indian National Congress party. He was president of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee from 1989 to 1994. Additionally, he held the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on multiple occasions. He took on this role for the first time from 1977 to 1978, and again from February 1979 to August 1979. His last stint as the Leader of the Opposition started in 1993 and continued until 1998 when his party came into power after winning the 1998 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election.^{[3][4][8][14]}

Maderna's political career concluded with his tenure as the Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, where he presided from 1999 to 2004.^[3][8]

Furthermore, Maderna's influence extended beyond his elected positions, as he held key roles in various constitutional bodies. He served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Estimates Committee. Additionally, he was Chairman of the Central Cooperative Bank, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation, the Public Accounts Committee, and the Public Undertakings Committee.^[3][4]

Electoral performance

This section is transcluded from Osian Assembly constituency. (edit | history)

1952 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Jodhpur Tehsil North^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mangal Singh	19,419	61.66
	INC	Parasram Maderna	10,148	32.22
	Socialist	Rewat Dan	1,925	6.11
Majority			9,271	29.44
Turnout			31,492	51.46
	Independent win (new seat)

1957 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Osian^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	15,303	64.79	+32.57
	PSP	Rewat Dan	8,317	35.21	+29.1
Majority			6,986	29.58	+0.14
Turnout			23,620	44.09	−7.37
	INC gain from Independent		Swing

1962 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Osian^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	17,964	56.78	−8.01
	PSP	Rewat Dan	10,721	33.89	−1.32
	Independent	Karna	2,951	9.33
Majority			7,243	22.89	−6.69
Turnout			31636	57.72	+13.63
	INC hold		Swing

This section is transcluded from Bhopalgarh Assembly constituency. (edit | history)

1967 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	26,104	57.10
	SWA	R. Singh	19,113	41.81
	Independent	J. R. Joshi	499	1.09
Majority			6,991	15.29
Turnout			45,716	68.00
	INC win (new seat)

1972 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	43,323	81.46	+24.36
	Independent	Jaswant Singh Chaudhary	8,315	15.63
	Socialist	Prakash Chandra	865	1.63
	Independent	Karna Ram	453	0.85
	Independent	Mangal Prakash	230	0.43
Majority			35,008	65.83	+50.54
Turnout			53,186	65.72	−2.28
	INC hold		Swing

1977 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	26,558	50.67	−30.79
	JP	Bhairaram Chaudhary	25,856	49.33
Majority			702	1.34	−64.49
Turnout			52,414	66.52	+0.80
	INC hold		Swing

1980 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC(I)	Parasram Maderna	29,052	51.99	+1.32
	JP(S)	Narayan Ram Bera	26,199	46.88
	Independent	Gordhan Choudhary	630	1.13
Majority			2,853	5.11	+3.77
Turnout			55,881	60.42	−6.10
	INC hold		Swing

1985 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LKD	Narayan Ram Bera	37,546	50.21	+3.33
	INC	Parasram Maderna	36,870	49.31	−2.68
	Independent	Ashok Kumar Vaishnav	358	0.48
Majority			676	0.90	−4.21
Turnout			74,774	67.67	+7.25
	LKD gain from INC		Swing

1990 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	43,330	49.71	+0.40
	JD	Narayan Ram Bera	40,556	46.53	−3.68
	Independent	Dhanna Ram Meghwal	2,560	2.94
	Doordarshi Party	Prem Raj Parihar	413	0.47
	Independent	Madan Lal Jatiya	154	0.18
	Socialist Party (Lohia)	Gordhan Choudhary	154	0.18
Majority			2,774	3.18	+2.28
Turnout			87,167	66.97	−0.70
	INC gain from LKD		Swing

This section is transcluded from Gudha Malani Assembly constituency. (edit | history)

1993 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Gudamalani^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	44,680	55.17
	BJP	Satya Pal	29,348	36.24
	JD	Hariram Karwasra	2,994	3.70
	Independent	Bhikharam Meghwansi	1,922	2.37
	Independent	Mangilal Kabli	1,220	1.51
	Doordarshi Party	Jawala Prasad	723	0.89
	Independent	Khetaram Meghwal	100	0.12
Majority			15,332	18.93	−17.85
Turnout			80,987	55.59	+7
	INC gain from JD		Swing

This section is transcluded from Bhopalgarh Assembly constituency. (edit | history)

1998 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election: Bhopalgarh^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	INC	Parasram Maderna	57,312	54.81
	BJP	Bhairaram Chaudhary	33,566	32.10
	BSP	Mana Ram	11,622	11.12
	BKD(J)	Sohan Ram	1,645	1.57
	Independent	Fagloo Ram	415	0.40
Majority			23,746	22.71	+5.28
Turnout			1,04,560	66.38	+6.74
	INC hold		Swing

Death

Maderna died on 16 February 2014, at the age of 87, due to respiratory failure. He was admitted to SMS Hospital after complaining of breathing problems and swelling in his legs and stomach. He was suffering from osteoarthritis, sepsis, and diabetes. Multiple dignitaries, including the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, Union Minister Lal Chand Kataria, and AICC's general secretary C. P. Joshi, paid homage to him once his body was brought to his residence.^{[26][14][4][27][28][29]} He was cremated by his son Mahipal Maderna the next day in his native village Chadi, Jodhpur. Other than MLAs and MPs, his funeral was attended by the then chief minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, and the then Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speaker Kailash Chandra Meghwal.^[30]

References

1. "Parasram Maderna, senior Congress leader of Rajasthan, passes away at 88". India Today. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024. Maderna, who was known as 'saab' by his followers,
2. "Banking on family legacy to make a change". The New Indian Express. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2024. Parasram Maderna, was a powerful Jat leader in the region and a nine-time MLA. During his four-decade-long political career, he held many positions, including that of a minister, leader of opposition in the Assembly, state Congress chief, and Vidhan Sabha Speaker.
3. "Ex-Speaker of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly". Rajasthan Assembly. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
4. "Veteran Congress leader Parasram Maderna passes away". The Times of India. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
5. Bhandari, Prakash (17 February 2014). "Parasram had the ability to grasp quickly". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
6. "Parasram Maderna, senior Congress leader of Rajasthan, passes away at 88". India Today. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
7. "Banking on family legacy to make a change". The New Indian Express. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
8. "Veteran Congress leader Parasram Maderna dies". Hindustan Times. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
9. "CM aspirant changes poll scene in Bhopalgarh". Rediff. 23 November 1998. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
10. Dan, Hinglaj (17 February 2023). "परसराम मदेरणा को राजस्थान का मुख्यमंत्री बनने से किसने रोका था, जानिए 25 साल पुराना किस्सा". Zee News. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
11. "Rajasthan Congress authorises Sonia to pick CM". Rediff. 30 November 1998. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
12. "Sonia picks Gehlot as Rajasthan CM". Rediff. 30 November 1998. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
13. "Maderna elected unopposed as Rajasthan speaker". Rediff. 6 January 1999. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
14. "Congress veteran Maderna passes away". The Hindu. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
15. "Rajasthan 1951". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
16. "Rajasthan 1957". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
17. "Rajasthan 1962". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
18. "Rajasthan 1967". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
19. "Rajasthan 1972". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
20. "Rajasthan 1977". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
21. "Rajasthan 1980". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
22. "Rajasthan 1985". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
23. "Rajasthan 1990". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
24. "Rajasthan 1993". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
25. "Rajasthan 1998". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
26. "Veteran Congress leader Parasram Maderna dies". The Economic Times. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
27. "राजस्थानः कांग्रेस नेता मदेरणा का निधन" [Rajasthan: Congress leader Maderna passes away]. Amar Ujala (in Hindi). 17 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
28. "नहीं रहे परसराम मदेरणा, अस्‍पताल में ली आखिरी सांस" [Parasram Maderna is no more, breathed his last in the hospital]. Aaj Tak (in Hindi). 16 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
29. "Veteran Congress leader Parasram Maderna passes away". DNA. 16 February 2014. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
30. "Maderna cremated at native village near Jodhpur". The Times of India. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.