Chandresh Kumari Katoch

Chandresh Kumari Katoch (née Rathore; born 1 February 1944) is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress party. She is a former Minister of Culture in India's central government. She was a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of parliament), representing Jodhpur constituency.^[2]

Chandresh Kumari Katoch
Minister of Culture
In office 2012–2014
President	Pranab Mukherjee
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Kumari Selja
Succeeded by	Shripad Yasso Naik[1]
Member of Parliament
In office 2009–2014
President	Pranab Mukherjee
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Jaswant Singh Bishnoi
Succeeded by	Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Constituency	Jodhpur
In office 1984–1989
President	Zail Singh
Prime Minister	Rajiv Gandhi
Preceded by	Vikram Chand Mahajan
Constituency	Kangra
Personal details
Born	Chandresh Kumari Singh (1944-02-01) 1 February 1944 (age 81) Jodhpur, Jodhpur State, British India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Aditya Katoch (1968–present)
Children	Aishwarya Singh (born 1970)
Residence(s)	New Delhi (official) Jodhpur (private)
Alma mater	University of Jodhpur (now Jai Narain Vyas University)

Katoch was sworn in as Cabinet Minister in the Government of India on 28 October 2012, and was given the portfolio of the Ministry of Culture.^[3] She is daughter of Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur and Maharani Krishna Kumari and is married into the royal family of Kangra with Raja Aditya Dev Chand Katoch, in Himachal Pradesh.^[4] She contested but lost the 2014 Indian general election.^[5]

Positions held

• 1972–77 Member, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly( from Dharamshala constituency)
• 1977 Deputy Minister, Government of Himachal Pradesh
• 1982–84 Member, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (second term from Dharamshala constituency)
• 1984 (for 9 Months) Minister of State, Tourism, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh
• 1984 Elected to 8th Lok Sabha from Kangra (Lok Sabha constituency)
• 1996 Elected to Rajya Sabha
• 1998–1999 Deputy Chief Whip, Congress Party in Rajya Sabha
• 1999-03 President, All India Mahila Congress
• 2003–07 Member, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (third term from Dharamshala constituency)
• 2003–2004 Cabinet Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh
• 2009 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha from Jodhpur (2nd term)
• 2012 Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Cultural, Government of India.