Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti: Preacher who helped BJP make inroads in Uttar Pradesh

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, who was sworn in as an MoS in the Narendra Modi government, is known as a religious preacher who helped BJP make inroads among the Dalit and backward classes in the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.

She contested and won from the Fatehpur seat in UP and her candidature is widely acknowledged to have got the BJP the support of the Kashyap and Nishad communities. Born in 1967, Jyoti had unsuccessfully contested on a BJP ticket in the 2002 and 2007 Assembly elections before going on to secure a win in 2012. Sadhvi Niranjan was in the news in June this year after she managed to escape unhurt as an attempt was made on her life allegedly by three persons.