Rajya Sabha polls: Meet Govind Dholakia, BJP candidate who once donated ₹11 crore for Ram Temple?

Gujarat BJP leader Jashvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak have also been nominated for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Updated on: Feb 14, 2024, 21:21:46 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated businessman Govind Dholakia for the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat. The diamond tycoon, who rose to wealth from abject penury, expressed happiness over the development.

Govind Dholakia is the founder and chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Private Limited. (ANI)

"Being from a farmer family, my journey towards being a businessman has been rather happy... I got to know about my nomination only four hours ago. BJP leadership definitely must have put in a thought before finalising my name," he told ANI.

Who is Govind Dholakia?

Govind Dholakia is the founder and chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Private Limited, a Surat-based diamond manufacturing and exporting company based in Surat.

He is the founder of the firm, one of the biggest companies in the world. He is a first-generation entrepreneur.

He started the company in 1970. According to his LinkedIn profile, the company has more than 5000 employees. The company's total revenue now exceeds 1.8 billion dollars.

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Govind Dholakia is also a noted public speaker and philanthropist.

"Shri Govindkaka is a thought leader for the diamond industry and the youth. Inspired by his vast experience, he is frequently invited by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Delhi, National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR)- Vadodara, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)- Pune, MIT Pune, RNS Institute of Technology-Bengaluru, amongst various other universities as a guest speaker," his LinkedIn profile reads.

He founded the SRK Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF) in 2014 for his philanthropy.

In 2011, Govind Dholakia had donated ₹11 crore for the construction of Ram Temple.

He is a native of Amreli. He started his career as a labourer in the diamond sector. He is also known for giving generous gifts to his employees during Diwali.

Gujarat BJP leader Jashvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak have also been nominated for the Rajya Sabha elections.

With inputs from PTI, ANI

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