Ajay Maken (born 12 January 1964) is a politician from the Indian National Congress party. He is the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He was formerly a minister in the Indian Cabinet of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and a minister in the Cabinet of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dik*.

He was twice elected as a Member of the Parliament of India, and three times to the Delhi Legislative *embly. He was the President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Contents

• 1 Political career
• 2 Lok Sabha
• 3 Personal life
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Political career

Maken has been a two-time Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha from 2004–2014) and three-time Member of Legislative *embly of Delhi (from 1993–2004).

At the National level, Maken was the youngest Union Cabinet Minister from the Congress Party for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (2012–13), Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs (2011–12), Union Minister of State for Home Affairs (2009–2011), Union Minister of State for Urban Development (2006–2007).

At the State level, he was Speaker of Delhi Legislative *embly (2003–04) at the age of 39, Maken was the youngest Speaker in the Country, a Cabinet Minister of Power, Transport and Tourism (2001-2003) at the age of 37, the youngest till that time and Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister Sheila Dik* (1998-2001).

Maken was the first NSUI candidate in a direct election to be elected as the President of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) in 1985, the first B.Sc. Chemistry (Hons) final year student in this post.

Lok Sabha

In the 2004 general election, Maken represented the Congress for the New Delhi cons*uency. He defeated a sitting Cabinet Minister, Jagmohan, from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the 2009 general elections, he retained the New Delhi Parliamentary cons*uency. He was appointed as the Minister of State for Home Affairs.

In 2011, Maken was appointed the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs after the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, replacing M. S. Gill as Sports Minister.

He was appointed as Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (I/C) in 2012.

Maken was defeated in the 2014 general elections by the BJP candidate Meenakshi Lekhi. He served as the Congress General Secretary until 2015, when he resigned after the party's failure to win any seat in the 2015 Delhi Legislative *embly election.

Personal life

Maken is married and has three children. He received his education in St. Xavier's School, Delhi.

References

External links

• Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website