Dr. Sanghmitra Maurya is an Indian politician and doctor. During the 2019 Indian general election, Sanghmitra was elected as a member of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Wiki/Biography
Sanghmitra Maurya was born on Thursday, 3 January 1985 (age 37 years; as of 2022) in Allahabad city in Uttar Pradesh. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Her hometown is Lucknow. After completing her schooling, she decided to study medicine as she once overheard her father saying that he wanted her to become a doctor. Sanghmitra pursued an M.B.B.S. from ERA’s Lucknow Medical College, Lucknow.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sanghmitra Maurya is the daughter of Swami Prasad Maurya (an Indian politician and a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India) and Shiva Maurya. Sanghmitra was born 14 years after her parents got married. She has a brother named Utkrist, who is also a politician.
Husband & Children
Sanghmitra met Naval Kishore Shakya for the first time during her college days. Reportedly, Maurya and Kishore pursued MBBS from ERA’s Lucknow Medical College & Hospital at the same time. They first became friends and then fell in love with each other. In 2010, the couple tied the knot after dating each other for a few years. Her husband, Naval Kishore Shakya, is a cancer surgeon and politician. As of 2022, he is a member of the Samajwadi Party. The couple has a son named Samrajya. On 21 December 2017, Sanghmitra filed for a divorce due to irrecoverable differences with her husband, and she was granted a divorce on 19 January 2021.
Religion/Religious Views
Sanghmitra Maurya was born into a Hindu OBC family. In 2018, Sanghmitra, along with her family, converted to Buddhism from Hinduism. In April 2018, 500 low-caste Hindus (including Sanghmitra and her family) gathered at the Veera Maidan, Maharashtra, to convert to Buddhism. They chanted,
I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnations of God nor shall I worship them. … I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. … I shall hereafter lead my life according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha.”
Since then, she has been propagating the Buddhist faith.
Career
Medical
After completing her MBBS, Sanghmitra Maurya started working as a medical officer at the district hospital in Pratapgarh. She worked there for a while and then gave up her medical career to pursue a political career.
Political
Sanghmitra began her political career in 2010 by contesting the Zila Panchayat elections from Etah in Uttar Pradesh. Subsequently, she joined the Bahujan Samaj Party and contested the 2012 election from Kasganj. However, she miserably failed to make an impact. In 2014, she contested from the Mainpuri constituency (as a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party) but lost to Mulayam Singh Yadav. In 2016, Maurya resigned from the Bahujan Samaj Party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Sanghmitra, within a year of joining BJP, was asked to contest the elections from the Padrauna constituency. However, she refused to do so. She managed BJP’s Parivartan Yatra in five districts.
Maurya also played a role in BJP’s women cell. In 2019, Sanghmitra, on a BJP ticket, contested the Indian general election from the Badaun constituency and defeated the senior Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav (Mulayam Singh Yadav’s nephew). She is a member of the 17th Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. In July 2019, she became a member of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes. In September 2019, she was elected as a member of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare and Consultative Committee, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Controversies
- In 2013, a case was filed against Sanghmitra in the Kotwali Mainpuri police station for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony.
- A complaint was also registered against her in the Gunnaur police station in district Budaun for Illegal payments in connection with an election.
Address
Permanent
6/237 E-Vipul Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow-226010, U.P.
Present (2019)
216, Uttar Pradesh Bhawan, S.P. Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021
Net Worth
In 2019, her net worth was around Rs. 4 crore.
Assets & Properties
Sanghmitra owned the following assets in 2019.
Movable Assets
- Bank Deposits Rs. 1,05,11,103
- Insurance Policies Rs. 1,22,44,990
- Motor Vehicles Rs. 84,000
- Other assets (Revolver, Riafle, Donali Gun) Rs. 1,50,000
Immovable Assets
- Agricultural Land Rs. 8,00,000
- Residential Buildings Rs. 1,46,00,000
Favourities
Facts/Trivia
- Her favourite pastime includes reading and travelling.
- The Indian politicians Kanshi Ram and Sushma Swaraj are her political influences. In an interview, Sanghmitra revealed that she was once influenced by Mayawati. Talking about Mayawati, she said, “In her (Mayawati’s) first term she was so strict. But then something happened to her.”
- While working as a medical officer at the district hospital in Pratapgarh, she accepted a token salary of Rs. 100 only and donated the rest of the amount to the hospital’s fund for poor patients.
- Sangmitra has got a tattoo inked on her right forearm. The tattoo is dedicated to the most important people in her life, i.e., her parents and her son, Samrajya.
- During an interview, Sanghmitra revealed that her political philosophy was to give voice to the poor, the most marginalised, and the most backward. She said,
Till you do not prepare such people to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, your work is not done.”
She further said that her priorities included a good medical college, improved rail and road connectivity, and avenues for girls’ education in Badaun constituency.
- Sanghmitra has written various compendious and meaningful articles on social topics in various magazines and journals.
- Maurya has actively participated in various social and cultural activities. She has been a part of the ‘Swajatiya Sammelan’ and various events associated with it (organised every year) for a long time.
- In 2017, she released the book titled ‘Modism Ke Mayane’ along with Deepak KS. She has also penned the book ‘Buddhism Ki Batten.’