Ravinder Raina

Ravinder Raina (born 31 January 1977) is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).^[4][5][6] He was the last president of BJP J&K state unit and first president of J&K union territory unit.

Ravinder Raina
President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Jammu and Kashmir
In office 13 May 2018[1] – 3 November 2024
Preceded by	Sat Paul Sharma[2]
Succeeded by	Sat Paul Sharma[3]
Member of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
In office 23 December 2014 – 21 November 2018
Preceded by	Radhay Sham Sharma
Succeeded by	Surinder Kumar Choudhary
Constituency	Nowshera
Personal details
Born	(1977-01-31) 31 January 1977 (age 48) Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Residence	Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir
Education	Diploma in International Law and Human Rights
Occupation	Politician

Early life and education

He was born on 31 January 1977^[7] to Shri Pushap Dutt into a Pahari-Poonchi Brahmin family (displaced from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) in Nowshera, in the Rajouri district of Jammu.^[8] He did his graduation in B.Sc. in 1999 from Jammu University, Jammu. He also holds a postgraduate degree in International law of Human Rights.^[9] After completing graduation, Raina joined the Indian navy but later he returned as Human Rights activist in 2004.^[1]

Political career

Raina has been closely associated with the welfare of victims of terrorism in the state. He was advised to join the Bharatiya Janata Party by former Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee during a meeting. He served as the state president of the party's youth wing: the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).^[1] During the budget session in early 2018, Raina led his party colleagues several times in shouting anti-Pakistan slogans in the Assembly to protest against the frequent ceasefire violations by the neighbouring country along the Line of Control (LoC).^[1] He failed in his bid for election to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in the 2024 assembly elections, being beaten by Surinder Kumar Choudhary, a candidate from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, by 7,819 votes in the Nowshera Assembly constituency.^[10][11]

Controversy

Raina courted controversy in 2015 when he took oath as MLA in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in the name of "Mata Vaishno Devi". Members of opposition registered their objection by saying that there is no provision for a member of the legislative house to take oath in the name of "Mata Vaishno Devi". Protem Speaker Mohmmad Shafi had to intervene in the matter and later he asked Raina to take oath in the name of God.^[2]