Subhash Chandra Baheria

Subhash Chandra Baheria is an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament who represented Bhilwara in the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 and from 2014 to 2024 as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was also a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from the Bhilwara constituency from 2003 to 2008. He is a chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Government College, Shahpura.

Early life and education

Baheria was born on 17 December 1956 in Shahpura, in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.

Baheria has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has been involved in social work. A 2019 profile in Hindustan Times described him as maintaining a low-profile public image and having easy access to people in the area.

Business career

Baheria has worked in the textile industry in Bhilwara. He founded Swastika Suitings, a textile company associated with the city's textile industry.

Political career

Baheria was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from Bhilwara in the 1996 Indian general election as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He contested the 1998 Indian general election from Bhilwara but was defeated by Rampal Upadhyay of the Indian National Congress.

In the 2003 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, Baheria was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from the Bhilwara constituency and served until 2008.

Baheria returned to the Lok Sabha in the 2014 Indian general election, winning the Bhilwara constituency with 630,317 votes and a margin of 246,264 votes over Ashok Chandna of the Indian National Congress.

He was re-elected from Bhilwara in the 2019 Indian general election. He received 938,160 votes and defeated Indian National Congress candidate Ram Pal Sharma by 612,000 votes. The margin was the largest recorded in Rajasthan in that election.

During the 17th Lok Sabha, Baheria served on the Public Accounts Committee and the Standing Committee on Finance. He was also a member of the Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development during the 17th Lok Sabha.

In 2017, he was appointed to the Joint Committee on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017.

In January 2023, Baheria participated in an industry discussion at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad on the role of textiles in India's goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy.

Electoral performance

+ Electoral performance Year Constituency Party Result Votes Margin 1996 Bhilwara Bharatiya Janata Party Won 212,731 17,209 1998 Bhilwara Bharatiya Janata Party Lost 276,963 Lost to Rampal Upadhyay 2014 Bhilwara Bharatiya Janata Party Won 630,317 246,264 2019 Bhilwara Bharatiya Janata Party Won 938,160 612,000

Contributions to Bhilwara

In a 2019 interview, Baheria identified the completion of the Chambal drinking-water project, the opening of Bhilwara Medical College and the electrification of railway lines as achievements during his tenure. He also cited the establishment of a passport office in Bhilwara, the opening of more than 700,000 accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, the establishment of new branches of polytechnic colleges, and increased compensation for land acquired for national highway projects.

Personal life

Baheria has three children. His wife, Ranjana Baheria, is a homemaker.