Ashok Kumar Mittal (born 10 September 1964)[1] is an Indian businessman turned politician. He is a member of parliament in India's upper house, Rajya Sabha. Mittal is also the founder and chancellor of Lovely Professional University.[2]
Ashok Kumar Mittal | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 10 April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Shamsher Singh Dullo |
| Constituency | Punjab |
| Chancellor of Lovely Professional University | |
| In office 2005 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1964 Punjab, India |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2026) |
Other political affiliations | Aam Aadmi Party (2022–2026) |
| Guru Nanak Dev University | |
| Profession | Businessman |
Early life and education
editMittal is a law graduate from Guru Nanak Dev University,[3] and received a honoris causa doctorate in 2022 at the 3rd convocation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee University.[4] Mittal uses this honorary doctorate as a title publicly[5][6] against the global consensus to not do so.[7]
Political career
editMittal joined active politics after the 2022 Punjab election, when he was nominated by Aam Aadmi Party for the Rajya Sabha.[8][9] No candidate opposed his election.[10]
In September 2024, Mittal was chosen as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.[11]
On 2 April 2026, Mittal was formally appointed as Deputy Leader of Aam Aadmi Party, replacing Raghav Chadha.[12]
Immediately thereafter, Enforcement Directorate raided Mittal's house on 15 April 2026 and on 24 April 2026, Mittal along with Raghav Chadha and some other Rajya Sabha MPs of his party AAP, merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party. [13][14][15][16][17]
References
edit- ↑ "Lovely Professional University | TheHigherEducationReview". www.thehighereducationreview.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ↑ "Newsmaker | Mr Mittal goes to Parliament: The Lovely ride from a shop to House". The Indian Express. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ↑ "From the business of making sweets to Parliament: Lovely Professional University chancellor Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal's journey". The Indian Express. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ↑ cityairnews (22 April 2022). "LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal honoured with Doctorate Degree". Cityairnews. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ↑ Centre, National Informatics. "Digital Sansad". Digital Sansad. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ↑ "Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal I MP Rajya Sabha I Chancellor Of LPU". 28 June 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ↑ "No, honorary doctorates don't hold the same academic weight as traditional doctorates". verifythis.com. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ↑ "Punjab: Who is Ashok Kumar Mittal? The Chancellor of Lovely Professional University nominated by AAP to Rajya Sabha". Free Press Journal. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "Who is Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal? Know everything about Punjab's business tycoon and upcoming Rajya Sabha Member". True scoop News. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "All five nominees of AAP from Punjab elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha". newsonair.gov.in. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ↑ "Member of Parliament, Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal appointed as a member for the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Finance". Happenings@LPU. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑ "AAP removes Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader, Ashok Mittal named the new leader in Rajya Sabha". Rising Kashmir. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ↑ "ED Raids Properties Linked to AAP MP Ashok Mittal, Days After His Appointment as Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader". The Wire. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "AAP MP Ashok Mittal joins BJP days after ED raids". The Wire. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Who is Ashok Mittal? Ex-AAP MP who switched to BJP 10 days after ED raid". Business Standard. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal join BJP after quitting AAP". India Today. 24 April 2026. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "Raghav Chadha and six MPs split with AAP underlines urgency of strengthening inner-party democracy". The Indian Express. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
Further reading
edit- "Newsmaker | Mr Mittal goes to Parliament: The Lovely ride from a shop to House". The Indian Express. 9 April 2022.