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Savitri Thakur, tribal leader & Dhar MP sworn in as minister of state in Modi govt
A class 10 pass out, Thakur entered politics in 2003 after working for over a decade as a social worker where she helped tribal women to procure loans to become self-reliant
46-year-old Savitri Thakur, who won from Dhar (Scheduled Tribe reserved) constituency in Madhya Pradesh in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, was sworn in on Sunday as a minister of state (MoS) in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Popularly known as ‘Didi’, Thakur defeated Congress candidate Radheshyam Muvel by 2,18,665 votes.
Early life
In 1996, she joined a voluntary organisation and worked as a coordinator for the upliftment of tribal and poor women in Dhar, Khargone and other areas.
A class 10 pass out, Thakur entered politics in 2003 after working for over a decade as a social worker where she helped tribal women to procure loans to become self-reliant and played a key role in prohibition of liquor.
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Thakur is the first person in her family to enter politics. Thakur’s father was a retired state forest official while her husband is a farmer.
In 2003, she joined BJP and was elected as a district panchayat member.
In a year, she became the district panchayat president in 2004.
In 2014, Thakur was fielded from ST reserved Dhar seat which she won by over one lakh votes against Umang Singhar.
Singhar is leader of the opposition (LoP) in the state assembly.
In 2019, she didn’t get a ticket to contest but was fielded in 2023 as a BJP candidate. She won against Radheshyam Muvel, Congress candidate from Singhar.
Apart from electoral politics, Thakur worked on many posts at organisational level too. She became district vice president of BJP in 2010.
In 2013, she became the director of Krishi Upaj Mandi Dhamnod.
In 2017, she was also made the national vice president of BJP’s Kisan Morcha wing. Presently, she is national general secretary of Adivasi Mahila Vikas Parishad.
