Rakesh Sinha

Rakesh Sinha (born 5 September 1964) is an Indian academic and politician who served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, from 14 July 2018 to 13 July 2024. An ideologue of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he has written positively on the organisation, and has authored a government-published biography of K. B. Hedgewar.

Early life and education Sinha was born on 5 September 1964 in Manserpur, Begusarai district, Bihar. He studied political science at the University of Delhi (BA, MA, MPhil, PhD). Public parliamentary records list his highest qualification as Doctorate.

Political career On 14 July 2018, Sinha was nominated to the Rajya Sabha under Article 80(1)(a) of the Constitution for a six-year term; the term ended on 13 July 2024.

In July 2025, historian Meenakshi Jain was among four individuals nominated to the Rajya Sabha; coverage noted the appointments to the set of nominated seats, which are not constituency successions.

Positions and views Sinha writes opinion columns in The Indian Express on constitutional and historical topics; these pieces are used only to attribute his own views. Positions expressed in interviews or op-eds include: Advocacy during the pandemic for temporary central intervention in Delhi under Article 239AB (President’s Rule).

Works In Understanding RSS (2019), Sinha presents a defence of the organisation and argues that it has been misrepresented by critics.

Books (selected)

The Population Regulation Bill, 2019 — introduced 12 July 2019; withdrawn 1 April 2022.