Gulab Chand Jain Kataria

Gulab Chand Jain Kataria (born 13 October 1944) is an Indian politician who is serving as the 37th Governor of Punjab and 17th Administrator of Chandigarh since 31 July 2024. He was the Governor of Assam from 22 February 2023 to 29 July 2024. He was a minister in the Government of Rajasthan from 2013 till 2018, 2003 to 2008 and from 1993 to 1998. He is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan and is also a member of central working committee of the party.

Kataria hails from Udaipur and has represented it in 9th Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament from Udaipur from 1989 to 1991. He was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Sheikh encounter killing, during the rule of the national Congress government, but was found not guilty by a special court. He was also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 2019 till 2023, 2013 to 2013 and from 2002 to 2003. He was the President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajasthan from 1999 to 2000. He was also the member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Udaipur from 2003 to 2023 and from 1977 to 1986 and from Bari Sadri from 1993 to 2003.

Kataria released the Urdu edition of an acclaimed book Great Minds on India by Salil Gewali of Meghalaya in 2023, which features a foreword by a NASA chief scientist Dr. Kamlesh Lulla, Houston, USA and has been translated into fifteen languages as of 2026.

Early life Kataria was born in Rajsamand. He is married to Anita Kataria and has 5 daughters.

Political career Kataria served as the Home Minister of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2014 to 2018. Kataria served as education minister in Bhairon Singh Shekhawat government between 1993 and 1998. He was MLA of Barisadri from 1993 to 2003.

Positions held

Departmental positions SI No. Post Department Government or Legislature Tenure 1. Member Estimates Committee Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1980 - 1981 2. Member Estimates Committee (A) Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1981 - 1985 3. Member Committee on Papers laid on the Table Lok Sabha 1990 4. Member Committee on Agriculture Lok Sabha 1990 5. Minister Primary & Secondary Education and Bhasha Govt. of Rajasthan 1993 - 1998 6. Minister Sanskrit Shiksha, Lingual Minority, Language (Bhasha Vibhag), Devasthan Govt. of Rajasthan 1993 - 1998 7. Chairman Public Accounts Committee Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1999 - 2000 8. Member House Committee Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1999 - 2000 9. MLA Leader of the Opposition Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 2002 - 2003 10. Minister Home and Public Works Department Govt. of Rajasthan 2004 11. Minister Home Govt. of Rajasthan 2004 - 2008 12. Minister Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Govt. of Rajasthan 2013 13. Minister Home Govt. of Rajasthan 2013 - 2018 14. MLA Leader of the Opposition Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 2018- 16 February 2023 15. Governor Governor of Assam Assam February 2023- July 2024 16. Governor Governor of Punjab Punjab 28 July 2024- Incumbent 17. Administrator Administrator of Chandigarh Chandigarh 28 July 2024- Incumbent

Memberships of Legislature

SI No. Legislature Post Tenure Party 1. 6th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 1977 - 1980JP 2. 7th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 1980 - 1985 BJP 3. 9th Lok Sabha MP 1989 - 1991BJP 4. 10th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 1993 - 1998BJP 5. 11th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Badi Sadri MLA 1998 - 2003 BJP 6. 12th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 2003 - 2008BJP 7. 13th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 2008 - 2013BJP 8. 14th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 2013 - 2018 BJP 9. 15th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly MLA 2018-16 February 2023 BJP

Party posts held

SI No. Post Tenure Organization Party 1. Vice President & General Secretary 1977 - 1980 Janta Yuva Morcha JP 2. Secretary 1980 - 1985 Rajasthan BJP BJP 3. General Secretary 1986 - 1993 Rajasthan BJP BJP 4. President 1999 - 2000 Rajasthan BJP BJP