Surinder Kumar Choudhary

Surinder Kumar Choudhary (born 1968) is an Indian politician, currently serving as the 9th deputy chief minister of the Jammu and Kashmir. He has been a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly since 8 October 2024, representing the Nowshera assembly constituency as a member of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. Choudhary previously served as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Career Surinder Kumar Choudhary was born in a Hindu Jatt family in 1968. Before joining politics, Choudhary was an employee of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. He contested his first Assembly election in 2009 from Nowshera as Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. In 2014 elections, he was a Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party candidate for Nowshera assembly constituency and lost to Ravinder Raina of BJP by a margin of 10000 votes. In April 2022, Choudhary resigned from PDP and joined BJP. He was general secretary of PDP at the time of his resignation. Choudhary cited reasons such as "people's love and affection" for delimitation under BJP government which divided Nowshera and Sunderbani into two distinct assembly constituencies.

Deputy chief minister On 16 October 2024, Choudhary was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in a ceremony held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC). The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Choudhary was joined by Sakeena Masood, Javid Ahmad Dar, Javed Ahmed Rana and Satish Sharma on the dais to take the oath of office as ministers. On 18 October 2024, an order was issued by Lieutenant Governor Sinha to allocate portfolios to council of ministers on the advice of chief minister. Choudhary was given the charge of Public Works (R&B), Industries and Commerce, Mining, Labour and Employment, and Skill Development.

Electoral performance