Jai Narayan Vyas

Jai Narayan Vyas Biography

Jai Narayan Vyas was a prominent politician and social worker from Rajasthan who served as the Chief Minister twice (26 April 1951 - 3 March 1952 and 3 March 1952 - 12 November 1954), thus serving a total of 1055 days. He was a leader of Indian National Congress party, and has been associated with politics since 1920s. Postal Department issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honour. He passed away in 1963 in New Delhi. He served as the third and fifth chief minister of Rajasthan. As a political activist he is known for his struggles for freeing his hometown Jodhpur from foreign powers, and  Jai Narain Vyas University in Jodhpur is named after him.

He was born on February 18, 1899 in Jodhpur, British India. Pandit Sewaramji Vyas and Shrimati Gopi Devi were his parents and he was born into a Brahmin family. He completed his matriculation in his hometown, and later discontinued studies to plunge into politics. As a political activist, he was one among those who founded "Marwar Hitkarni Sabha" in the early 1920s, aimed at freeing the state from the rule of non-Jodhpuri officials. Vyas saw this movement as his first contribution to the freedom movement. However Marwar Hitkarni Sabha got banned very soon.

Ten years he started the Jodhpur Praja Mandal, which was supported by many political and social leaders. He guided his movements from Ajmer and strived for the freeing of Jodhpur from external powers. Following Indian independence, he was elected as the Prime Minister of Jodhpur State, and later got opportunity to serve as the chief minister of unified Rajasthan twice, though for short terms. He has been one of the early prominent political leaders of Rajasthan. He also served as a member of Rajya Sabha twice – 1957-1960 and 1960-1963.

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Updated: June 17, 2016