Sandeep Pathak (born 4 October 1979) is an Indian academician-turned-politician from Bharatiya Janata Party and Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab since April 2022. He is a former assistant professor of IIT Delhi, former research associate at University of Oxford and MIT.
Sandeep Pathak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 10 April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Partap Singh Bajwa |
| Constituency | Punjab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1979 Mungeli, Chhattisgarh, India |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2026)[1][2] |
Other political affiliations | Aam Aadmi Party (2022-2026) |
| Education | Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) |
| University of Cambridge (Ph.D) (2011) | |
Known for | Aam Aadmi Party: Gujarat Incharge, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Co-incharge Ex-Professor: IIT Delhi Research Associate: University of Oxford & MIT |
Early life and education
editHe was born in Bataha village in Mungeli, Chhattisgarh to agriculturist parents. He completed his education till class 6th from his village and then moved to Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh to his aunt's house for further studies. He completed his master's in Chhattisgarh and then moved to Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad and National Chemical laboratory, Pune for further studies.
He then moved to the University of Cambridge to pursue Ph.D on high-temperature superconducting materials. Post that he pursued post-doctoral research as research associate in University of Oxford and MIT.[3]
Professional career
editPolitical career
editHe was recognized for his behind-the-scenes work in the 2022 Punjab elections, on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, and was nominated by the party as a candidate for a seat in the Rajya Sabha, to which he was elected, unopposed, in April 2022.[5]
He was appointed Aam Aadmi Party's Incharge in Gujarat & Co-incharge in Punjab on 21 March 2022.[6] Later he was appointed Co-incharge for Himachal Pradesh on 4 June 2022.[7]
On 24 April 2026, he defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party along with a faction of 6 other Rajya Sabha MPs led by Raghav Chadha.[8]
Soon thereafter, the Punjab Police filed two FIRs against Pathak in two different districts of Punjab, where the Punjab Police raided his house in Delhi but Pathak escaped from his house. Pathak and BJP have criticized these FIRs as being political vendetta. Pathak has also said he was completely unware of the details of these FIRs and has moved Punjab and Haryana High Court for relief, where he has been provided Interim relief, and the matter is pending. [9][10][11][12][13][14] [15]
References
edit- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "In list of 7 who switched from AAP to BJP: Sandeep Pathak, professor who once caught Kejriwal's attention". The Indian Express. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ Nanda, Rupashree. "Surveys Key, Good Chance in Gujarat: AAP's Silent Strategist Sandeep Pathak Opens Up to News18". News18. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ↑ Mishra, Soni. "Who is Sandeep Pathak, AAP's surprise pick for Rajya Sabha?". The Week. 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.
- ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Sandeep Pathak replaces Raghav Chadha as Punjab co-incharge as AAP appoints new office-bearers in 9 states". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ Mohan, Vibhor. "Sandeep Pathak is Aam Aadmi Party's Himachal Pradesh co-incharge". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ↑ "Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh: Raghav Chadha Names 7 AAP MPs Joining BJP". NDTV.
- ↑ "Punjab Police files two FIRs against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak". All India Radio. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "FIRs against AAP rebel Sandeep Pathak in Punjab days after BJP switch: Sources". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Received no information on FIRs: Sandeep Pathak". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Sandeep Pathak criticises Punjab Police FIRs after joining BJP". thenewsmill.com. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Not surprised". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Punjab playing hide and seek: MP Sandeep Pathak to HC". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Punjab: Interim order against MP Sandeep Pathak's arrest to continue till May 15". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
External links
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