Sona Ram Choudhary

Colonel
Sona Ram Choudhary
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
2014 - 2019
Preceded byHarish Chaudhary
Succeeded byKailash Choudhary
ConstituencyBarmer-Jaisalmer
In office
1996–2004
Preceded byRam Niwas Mirdha
Succeeded byManvendra Singh
ConstituencyBarmer-Jaisalmer
Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
In office
2008–2013
Succeeded byKailash Choudhary
ConstituencyBaytoo
Personal details
Born31 March 1945[1]
Died20 August 2025(2025-08-20) (aged 80)
New Delhi, India
Political partyIndian National Congress [2]
Other political
affiliations		Bharatiya Janata Party
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Rank Colonel
Unit Indian Army Corps of Engineers

Colonel Sona Ram Choudhary (31 March 1945 – 20 August 2025) was an Indian Army veteran and politician from Rajasthan.[3] He was a four term Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha for Barmer. He was also elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Baytoo. A popular leader among the Jat community of Marwar,[4] his career spanned both military service and active politics. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.[5]

Military career

He obtained a B.E. degree from M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and was a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (F.I.E.).[6] He passed out of the Indian Military Academy in 1966 and was commissioned as Lieutenant in the Indian Army Corps of Engineers into, 55th Engineers Regiment of Bengal Sappers of the Indian Army. He served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 on the Eastern Front. He retired from the Army as a Colonel in 1994.[7]

Political career

After retiring from the Indian Army, Sona Ram entered politics and joined the Indian National Congress in 1994. Sona Ram rose as an influential leader from western Rajasthan and secured a place in national politics. In the 1996 general election, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Barmer-Jaisalmer constituency. He retained the seat in the 1998 and 1999 elections, serving three consecutive terms as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.[7] During his tenure, Sona Ram was part of several parliamentary committees, including the Standing Committee on Defence and the Consultative Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas, where he contributed to matters of national security and energy policy.[8]

In the 2004 general election, Sona Ram faced a setback when he lost the Barmer seat to Manvendra Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[9] Shifting his focus to state politics, he contested the 2008 Rajasthan Assembly elections and was elected as the MLA from Baytoo, serving in the state legislature until 2013. His grassroots connect and standing as a Jat leader kept him relevant in the political landscape of Marwar.[10]

Ahead of the 2014 general election, Sona Ram joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP chose him as its candidate for the Barmer-Jaisalmer seat, sidelining veteran leader Jaswant Singh, who contested as an independent. Riding on the BJP wave, Choudhary won the election and returned to the Lok Sabha, where he served another term from 2014 to 2019.[11]

After nearly a decade with the BJP, Choudhary rejoined the Congress party in 2023.[12] He was fielded by the party in the Gudamalani constituency during the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, but he was defeated by BJP’s K.K. Vishnoi. Despite the loss, he remained a respected political figure, remembered for his influence in the Jat community and his long career spanning both national and state politics.[13]

Jat reservation agitation and Pachpadra refinery issue

Sona Ram was a supporter of the Jat reservation movement and, even while in the Congress, consistently raised the community’s demands before the central government. His outspoken style made him popular among the people. As an MLA from Baytu, he led a agitation against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s government over the Pachpadra refinery issue, which created political turmoil and even prompted Minister Hemaram Choudhary to offer his resignation. Within politics, his sharp differences with his own party and leaders often drew attention, while his close ties with former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda were well known.[14]

Death

He died in New Delhi on 20 August 2025, following a heart attack.[7]

References

  1. ^ Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar (21 August 2025). "चार बार सांसद रहे कर्नल सोनाराम का निधन, जैसलमेर के मोहनगढ़ में होगा आज अंतिम संस्कार". Patrika News (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  2. ^ PTI. "Rajasthan: Former BJP MP Sonaram Choudhary returns to Congress". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  3. ^ व्यास, श्रीकांत; द्विवेदी, गौरव कुमार (21 August 2025). "कद्दावर नेता कर्नल सोनाराम चौधरी का निधन, दिल्ली के अपोलो अस्पताल में ली आखिरी सांस". rajasthan.ndtv.in (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  4. ^ Jat Mahasabha Backs Ashok Gehlot for CM Post
  5. ^ "Rajasthan: Former BJP MP Sonaram Choudhary returns to Congress". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Col. Sonaram Choudhary(Indian National Congress(INC)):Constituency- GUDHA MALANI(BARMER) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Congress leader and four-time MP Colonel Sonaram passes away: Breathes his last in Delhi hospital after being admitted with chest pain". Bhaskar English. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025. Colonel Sonaram Choudhary completed his BE, Fellow (FIE) from Jodhpur. After this, he joined the Indian Army in 1966. He also contributed to the 1971 war on the Eastern Front. He took VRS in 1994 and joined politics.
  8. ^ "MLA Sonaram Choudhary (MLA)". Rajasthan Link. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Will Manvendra Singh repeat his 2004 Barmer Lok Sabha win for Cong in 2019?". Hindustan Times. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  10. ^ De, Amar (14 March 2004). "Cong regains its hold among Jats in Rajasthan". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 21 August 2025. Prominent Jat leaders, inlcuding Sis Ram Ola, Balram Jakhar and Col Sona Ram are now busy building up the base for the party.
  11. ^ Sanyal, Prasad (25 March 2014). "In Barmer, it's BJP vs Jaswant Singh. Sona Ram files nomination". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Former Rajasthan MP Sonaram Choudhary Quits BJP, Returns To Congress". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  13. ^ आचार्य, भूपेश; मित्तल, पुलकित (21 August 2025). "रिफाइनरी के पचपदरा जाने की वजह बने थे सोनाराम चौधरी, गहलोत सरकार के लिए सिरदर्द बन गया था उनका प्रदर्शन". rajasthan.ndtv.in (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  14. ^ आचार्य, भूपेश; मित्तल, पुलकित (21 August 2025). "रिफाइनरी के पचपदरा जाने की वजह बने थे सोनाराम चौधरी, गहलोत सरकार के लिए सिरदर्द बन गया था उनका प्रदर्शन". rajasthan.ndtv.in (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 August 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.