{{short description|Indian politician (born 1954)}} {{Use British English|date=January 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ram Prasad Chaudhary | image = | alt = | caption = | constituency = Basti | office3 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of <br/>Kaptanganj | constituency1 = Khalilabad | office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | term_start1 = December 1989 | term_end1 = June 1991 | predecessor1 = Chandra Sekhar Tripathi | successor1 = Ashthabhuja Prasad Shukla | term_start = 4 June 2024 | term_end = | predecessor = Harish Dwivedi | successor = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1954|11|15}} | birth_place = Jigna, Uttar Pradesh, India | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | parents = | citizenship = | party = Samajwadi Party (2020–present), (1991–1996) | other_party = {{ubl|Janata Party (1989–1991)|Bahujan Samaj Party<ref name="Member Profile"/> (1996–2002), (2007–2020)|Bhartiya Janta Party (2002–2007)}} | spouse = Kapura Devi | children = 3 | relations = Arvind Kumar Chaudhary (nephew) | alma_mater = Government Polytechnic College, Basti | occupation = Farmer | profession = Politician | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = As on 13 June 2024 | blank1 = | data1 = | term_start3 = December 1993 | term_end3 = March 2017 (5 Times) | predecessor3 = Krishan Kinkar Singh Rana | successor3 = Chandra Prakash Shukla | office2 = Minister of Food and Civil Supplies & Rental Control<br/>Government of Uttar Pradesh | term_start2 = May 2007 | term_end2 = February 2012 | successor2 = Raghuraj Pratap Singh | 1blankname2 = Chief minister | 1namedata2 = Mayawati | source = https://sansad.in/ls/members/biographyM/3261?from=members }} '''Ram Prasad Chaudhary''' (born 15 November 1954) is an Indian politician and a member of the 9th Lok Sabha, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh. He represents the Kaptanganj constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Samajwadi Party. He earlier also served as Minister of State (Independent charge) in Mayawati cabinet (1997), Minister of Textile and silk industry in Kalyan Singh government (1997) and Minister of Food and Civil Supplies in Mayawati cabinet (2007–2012).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/up-election-sp-and-bsp-mla-eye-hat-trick-and-doubly-hat-trick/articleshow/57098277.cms|title=यूपी चुनाव: इन विधायकों की कुर्सी छीनने में BJP के छूट रहे पसीने|date=11 February 2017|work=Navbharat Times|accessdate=7 November 2018}}</ref> In June 2024, Chaudhary defeated Harish Dwivedi of Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha from Basti Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livehindustan.com/uttar-pradesh/story-basti-lok-sabha-results-2024-winner-counting-trend-lead-bjp-harish-dwivedi-samajwadi-party-ramprasad-chaudhary-10147537.html|title=Ram Prasad Chaudhary wins from Basti}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Chaudhary was born 15 November 1954 in Jigna village in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh to father Manik Ram Chaudhary in a Kurmi family.<ref>{{cite web|url =https://uplegisassembly.gov.in/Members/main_members_en.aspx#/Data/12287/16|website=Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly|title=Profile of Ram Prasad Chaudhary|accessdate=7 June 2024}}</ref> In 1978, he attained Diploma in civil and electrical engineering from Government Polytechnic College, Basti. Chaudhary is married to Kapura Devi, with whom he has a son and two daughters.<ref name="Member Profile">{{cite news|title=Member Profile|publisher=Legislative Assembly official website|accessdate=6 November 2018|url=http://uplegisassembly.gov.in/Members/main_members_hi.aspx#/Data/12287/16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://myneta.info/LokSabha2019/candidate.php?candidate_id=12534|title=Candidate Affidavit|publisher=myneta.info|accessdate=26 May 2020}}</ref> His nephew Arvind Kumar Chaudhary has been also an MP from Basti (Lok Sabha constituency) from 2009 to 2014 as a member of Bahujan Samaj Party.<ref>{{cite news |title=पूर्व मंत्री राम प्रसाद चौधरी का कुनबा समाजवादी पार्टी में शामिल, कभी अखिलेश यादव को कहा था 'जो पिता का नहीं हुआ.... |url=https://www.patrika.com/basti-news/bsp-leaders-and-ex-minister-ram-prasad-chaudhary-join-samajwadi-party-5670472/ |accessdate=30 August 2020 |work=Patrika News |date=20 January 2020 |language=hindi}}</ref> His son Shri Kavindra Chaudhary became MLA from Kaptanganj Assembly in 2022 from Samajwadi Party
==Political career== Chaudhary started career as a member of parliament in 9th Lok Sabha from Khalilabad of Sant Kabir Nagar district as a member of Janata Party. After 1993 he was regular five time continuously MLA of Kaptanganj (Assembly constituency) of Basti district till 2017.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Kaptanganj Assembly Constituency Election Result – Legislative Assembly Constituency|url=https://resultuniversity.com/election/kaptanganj-uttar-pradesh-assembly-constituency|website=resultuniversity.com|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>
In Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh (2017) elections, he lost to Bhartiya Janata Party candidate Chandra Prakash Shukla by a margin of 6,827 votes.<ref name=":0" />
In 2019 general elections, he was candidate of SP and BSP (Mahagathbandhan) from Basti Lok Sabha seat.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/basti-10869064.html|title=राम प्रसाद चौधरी बस्ती लोकसभा के बसपा प्रत्याशी घोषित|date=17 November 2013|work=Jagran|accessdate=7 November 2018}}</ref> But he lost the election to BJP's Harish Dwivedi by a margin of 30,354 (2.88%) votes.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Basti Lok Sabha Election Result 2019: Constituency Map, Winner, Runner Up|url=https://www.jagran.com/elections/lok-sabha/constituency/basti.html|date=12 May 2019|work=Jagran|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Basti (Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 – Basti Parliamentary Constituency, Winning MP and Party Name|url=https://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/basti.html|website=www.elections.in|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>
In November 2019, BSP supremo Mayawati expelled Chaudhary and three former MLAs from the party for indiscipline and anti-party activities.<ref>{{cite news |title=BSP sacks former MP, 3 others for indiscipline |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/bsp-sacks-former-mp-3-others-for-indiscipline/articleshow/72204336.cms |access-date=20 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=24 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=मायावती ने पूर्व मंत्री रामप्रसाद चौधरी समेत चार पूर्व विधायकों को बीएसपी से निकाला|url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/others/mayawati-expelled-ex-minister-ram-prasad-chaudhary-and-three-other-former-mla-from-bsp-in-basti-up/articleshow/72200700.cms|date=23 November 2019|work=Navbharat Times|language=hi|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> After the expulsion, Chaudhary joined the Samajwadi Party along with his colleagues in the presence of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BSP losing its leaders to Samajwadi Party in UP|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national-uttar-pradesh-bsp-losing-leaders-samajwadi-party-akhilesh-yadav-mayawati-581332|last=Hardaha|first=Rashi|date=20 January 2020|website=www.indiatvnews.com|language=en|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Shivendra|date=20 January 2020|title=बसपा के पूर्व मंत्री राम प्रसाद चौधरी समेत कई पूर्व विधायक समाजवादी पार्टी में शामिल|url=https://www.livehindustan.com/uttar-pradesh/story-former-bsp-minister-ram-prasad-chaudhary-and-many-more-mlas-to-join-the-samajwadi-party-today-2971839.html|work=Hindustan|language=hindi|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>
== Criminal cases == According to his election affidavit, Chaudhary has three pending criminal cases against him. In 2023, he was convicted under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (punishment for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Basti, and has not filed an appeal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ram Prasad Chaudhary(Samajwadi Party(SP)):Constituency- BASTI(UTTAR PRADESH) - Affidavit Information of Candidate: |url=https://www.myneta.info/LokSabha2024/candidate.php?candidate_id=8150 |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=www.myneta.info}}</ref>
Earlier, he was acquitted by the MP/MLA court in an eight-year-old case registered under Section 171 of the Representation of the People Act, which alleged that he had distributed cash and sarees to influence voters during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign. The court exonerated him due to lack of evidence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-19 |title=Former U.P. cabinet minister acquitted in 8-yr-old poll code of conduct case |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/former-u-p-cabinet-minister-acquitted-in-8-yr-old-poll-code-of-conduct-case-101668868221514.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221174500/https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/former-u-p-cabinet-minister-acquitted-in-8-yr-old-poll-code-of-conduct-case-101668868221514.html |archive-date=21 February 2023 |access-date=2025-07-18 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Posts held== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! # !! From !! To !! Position !! Comments |- | 01 || 1989 || 1991 || Member, 9th Lok Sabha || |- | 02 || 1993 || 1995 || Member, 12th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh|| |- | 03 || 1996 || 2002 || Member, 13th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh|| |- | 04 || 2002 || 2007 || Member, 14th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh|| |- | 05 || 2007 || 2012 || Member, 15th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh|| |- | 06 || 2012 || 2017 || Member, 16th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh|| |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhary, Ram Prasad}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 2012–2017 Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 2007–2012 Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 2002–2007 Category:People from Basti district Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Bahujan Samaj Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Samajwadi Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1993–1996 Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1997–2002 Category:India MPs 2024–2029 Category:Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance candidates in 2024 Indian general election Category:Indian politicians convicted of crimes