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Yashwant Sinha

About Yashwant Sinha

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Who is Yashwant Sinha

Yashwant Sinha, the form IAS officer who worked for the Janata Party, then the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been named as the the candidate for the post of the president of the nation by the Opposition parties. Sinha, who got sidelined by the BJP, has been a vocal critique of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Allliance government.
 
Opposition parties came together and picked him to contest against NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu. While there were several other named being floated for Opposition's candidate, Sinha's name came late into discussion and got unanimous nod from all parties.
 
On July 25 Sinha's fate will be known.
 
From the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) to the Janata Party, then the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and then slipping into oblivion — Yashwant Sinha’s professional career has been a roller-coaster ride. As a long-time member of the BJP, Sinha served in several ministries but finance was known to be his forte. 
 
Before becoming the Union finance minister in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA’s) first full term government, which took office in 1998, Sinha had held that portfolio in Chandra Shekhar's Cabinet as well (from November 1990 to June 1991). Later, he was the finance minister in the first three years of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998 to 2002). 
 
Among changes to his credit as finance minister is breaking the colonial-era tradition of presenting Union Budgets in evenings. Sinha’s 1998-99 Budget was the first to have been presented in the morning, a practice that has been followed since. He is also credited with boosting the funding of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) through a petroleum cess. That helped push the construction of highways across India, and kick-start the ambitious Golden Quadrilateral project. During his tenure as finance minister, he deregularised the petroleum industry and helped the telecom industry expand. He was written extensively about his stint as the finance ministry in his book Confessions of a Swadeshi Reformer. 
 
An ardent critic of Narendra Modi and his government's policies, Sinha quit the BJP on April 21, 2018. 
 
Yashwant Sinha had joined active politics as a member of the Janata Party after resigning from the IAS in 1984. He had been appointed the party’s all-India general secretary in 1986 and was elected a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1988. When the Janata Dal was formed in 1989, Sinha, a founding member, was appointed the party’s general secretary. He later joined the BJP and held important portfolios in the Vajpayee government.

Latest Updates on Yashwant Sinha

Budget 2024 time: The Union Budget is presented at 11 am on February 1 every year but it was not the practice earlier. Here's why it was changed and when

Updated On: 25 Jan 2024 | 10:28 AM IST

If the finance ministry wants private investment to revive, it must make things easy for it and resist the temptation to go on spending just because it can

Updated On: 27 Sep 2022 | 10:42 AM IST

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who recently lost the presidential poll as an opposition candidate, said he will not join any other political party and remain independent

Updated On: 26 Jul 2022 | 12:12 PM IST

Her conduct in the election of the president and the vice-president confirms her image as an unpredictable leader

Updated On: 25 Jul 2022 | 7:38 AM IST

The most dismaying fact is that tribals have a very high dropout rate

Updated On: 24 Jul 2022 | 9:54 PM IST

Droupadi Murmu defeated the opposition's candidate Yashwant Sinha, winning 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled on Thursday

Updated On: 22 Jul 2022 | 12:00 PM IST

Live news updates: The certificate will now be sent to the Union Home Secretary

Updated On: 22 Jul 2022 | 1:45 PM IST

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that had she wished she could have garnered more votes in support of the opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Singh.

Updated On: 21 Jul 2022 | 5:37 PM IST

Of total 748 votes of MPs, NDA's Droupadi Murmu gets 540, Opposition's Yashwant Sinha gets 208, says Returning Officer

Updated On: 21 Jul 2022 | 3:06 PM IST

The NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu crossed the 50 per cent mark after the third round of counting to emerge victorious in the poll over her rival Yashwant Sinha

Updated On: 21 Jul 2022 | 8:27 PM IST

Several legislators in states on Monday said they have cross-voted in favour of NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu by not following their party line in the presidential election.

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 11:36 PM IST

A 100 per cent voting by MLAs was reported from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the statement reads.

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 7:52 PM IST

Going by the stand taken by various parties, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is set to win the poll against joint Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha.

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 6:34 PM IST

With the BJP's dominance and support from regional parties such as the BJD, BSP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and now JMM, Murmu's vote share is likely to reach nearly two-thirds.

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 4:45 PM IST

Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha said the presidential poll would decide the direction of the country as to whether democracy will remain or not

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 1:44 PM IST

Polling for the presidential election began in West Bengal assembly at 10 am on Monday with lawmakers of both ruling TMC and opposition BJP queuing up at the assembly premises to cast their votes

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 11:54 AM IST

Prime Minister Modi was among the first to cast his vote in Parliament as voting for the presidential election began in which NDA candidate Murmu is pitted against joint opposition candidate Sinha

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 11:47 AM IST

Voting is underway at 'Vidhan Soudha' here for the Presidential election where the NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint opposition pick Yashwant Sinha

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 11:48 AM IST

From presidential elections to coronavirus cases, the Monsoon session of the Parliament and the emergency in Sri Lanka, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 1:20 PM IST

The polling for the presidential elections 2022 will take place between 10 am and 5 pm in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies

Updated On: 18 Jul 2022 | 7:19 AM IST