Uma Bharti

Fiery queen Uma Bharti has been BJP's infant terrible this year.

The fiery Sanyasin who became the first woman chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has come a long way.

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The OBC leader, who steered her party to a landslide victory in the Assembly polls has been one of BJP's most vocal leaders of the 'Generation Next' and has been in the forefront of many a party campaign in recent years.

Her recent rise in the party has, however, not been without controversy, and even some of her party colleagues have not hesitated to verbalise their criticism.

Born in a backward peasant family at Dunda village, Uma was initiated into politics at a tender age when she came in contact with late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and leaders of RSS and VHP. She developed a strong inclination towards spiritual pursuits right from her childhood and achieved fluency in religious epics including the Gita and the Ramayana. These helped her in commanding the status of a demi-god at the peak of the Ayodhya movement.