Glimpse into the political career of Rita Bahuguna Joshi

With the UP elections going in favour of BJP, it might have seemed the perfect move for Rita Bahuguna Joshi who less than a year ago moved from Congress to BJP. Here is a glimpse into her political career.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi is a Bhartiya Janta Party politician. Joined the BJP in 2016 after having a 24-year-long run with Congress.

She recently moved from Congress Party saying she knew it had no future in the state. She joined BJP on 20 October 2016.

She was President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee from 2007 to 2012.

Daughter of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, her father is the former Chief Minister of the UP- a very politically inclined state.

She studied MA and a PhD in History and is a professor in Medieval and Modern History at the University of Allahabad.

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She is a former vice-president of the National Council of Women and has been part of the All India Mahila Congress from 2003 to 2009.

She was once arrested by the state police in 2011 for joining a farmers' agitation against the then state government of Mayawati. She was arrested alongside Congress part leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh.

She was also reportedly detained in 2009 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

Rita was elected as the Mayor of Allahabad from 1995 to 2000 and was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Lucknow Cantonment assembly constituency in 2012. She also contested in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow but remained unsuccessful.

Picture credit- Indian Express