B. C. Khanduri

1 October 1934, Dehradun
B.C.Khanduri was born on 1st October 1934 in Dehradun (Uttarakhand). His father Jai Ballabh Khanduri was a journalist and mother Durga Devi Khanduri was a social activist.
He studied B.Sc., B.E, M.I.E (India), long defence management course; educated at Allahabad university (Uttar Pradesh), college of military engineering, Pune (Maharashtra), Institute of engineers (New Delhi) and institute of defence management, Secunderabad.
Later, he got married to Aruna Khanduri of whom he has one son and one daughter.

CAREER IN ARMY

Khanduri entered the army in 1954 as a lieutenant and served corps of engineers in Indian army from 1954 to 1991. From 1966 to 1968, he was posted as Senior Instructor (Major), Military Engineering College (Pune). From 1971 to 1979 he was General Officer (Lt. Col.) Regiment Field Area and from 1977 to 1979 General Officer Grade-I, Army Headquarters. Colonel (Director, Management Studies Army Headquarters) from 1978 to 1981 and Brigadier (Chief Engineer, Siliguri Zone) from 1983 to 1986. Major General (Additional Director General, Engineer-in-Chief Army Headquarters) from 1987 to 1990. He retired as major general from Indian army in 1991 after 39 years of commendable services.

POLITICAL LIFE

After retiring from Indian army, Khanduri joined politics on the behalf of Bhartiya Janata Party (B.J.P). He got selected to Lok Sabha from Garhwal (Uttarakhand) in 1991 and represented the garhwal division parliamentary constituency of Uttarakhand for 4 times in the Lok Sabha.
From 2000 to 2003 he was minister of the state for road and transport and highways (with independent influence) in the union government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He was given cabinet rank in 2003 and in may 2004, he held this post till the end of the governments term.

In the legislative elections held in February 2007, he led the BJP to victory in the Uttarakhand assembly elections and later became the new chief minister of the state.
He remained as the chief minister of Uttarakhand twice from 2007 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2012.
On 6 March 2012, BJP lost the majority in Uttarakhand winning 31 seats out of 70. Khanduri too lost his election from kotdwara constituency and submitted his resignation to the governor of Uttarakhand on 7 March 2012.
He is a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Presently, BJP National Executive Member and also a member of the Ministry of Road and Transport Consultative Committee

• In 1983 he received the “Ati vishisht seva medal (AVSM)” from the president of India for his extraordinary contribution to the Indian army.
•  He took the responsibility of managing “Chandra Ballabh Trust”, an educational trust started in 1917 by his grandfather in Garhwal.
•  He was also the President of the Uttaranchal Pradesh Union Committee and contributed in the formation of the new state of Uttarakhand.
•  He received “Mother Teresa International Award” in 2013.
• He was the Patron of Parvatia Sanskriti Parishad, Dehradun during 1990-93.
• He was the President of Poorva Sainika Seva Parishad, Uttar Pradesh from 1992 onwards and Uttaranchal Pradesh Sangharsh Samiti from 1994-96.
• He was also associated with wildlife society of India from 1990 to 2000 and was a member of G.B pant Himalaya environment and development committee from 1998 to 2000.