Some Lesser Known Facts About Lakshman Acharya
- Lakshman Acharya grew up in a lower-middle-class family in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- He began his career as a teacher in 1973 at Bhartiya Shishu Mandir in Ramnagar, Varanasi.
- Lakshman Acharya liked teaching and aimed to provide education to all sections of society. He started many schools in remote areas that lacked educational facilities.
- His notable educational institutions include Sishu Shiksha Niketan, Shri Kalidas Shiksha Sansthan Junior High School, and Smt. Pyari Devi Intermediate College in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
- From an early age, he became a volunteer (swayamsevak) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
- In 1972, he participated in a protest against the ‘Shimla Agreement’ led by Subramanian Swamy and was arrested along with other protestors.
- In the same year, Lakshman Acharya became the coordinator of Swadeshi Jagran Manch in Ramnagar, Varanasi.
- In 1974, he completed his First Year Officer Training Course (OTC) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
- During the Emergency in India (1975-1976), Lakshman Acharya became an active member of the opposition movement led by Jaiprakash Narayan. He went underground to avoid arrest and continued to work for the cause.
- On 22 June 1977, he launched the “शिशु शिक्षा गांव की ओर” (Child Education in the Village) campaign to establish schools in remote villages.
- Lakshman Acharya became known as the first person to open private primary schools in the villages of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
- In the 1980s, he became an active member of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Andolan through the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
- When he was young, he was involved with the RSS and Bhartiya Jana Sangh. Later, he associated with the Janata Party.
- After the Janata Party dissolved and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was formed, Lakshman Acharya became actively involved in the BJP.
- In 1990, he became the divisional president of the BJP in the Ramnagar area of Varanasi.
- In 1995, Lakshman Acharya became the General Secretary of the combined district of Varanasi (which included Varanasi and Chandauli) for the BJP.
- In 1996, he was appointed the District President of BJP for the Varanasi district.
- Due to his performance, Lakshman Acharya was appointed Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Development Corporation Limited (UPFDC) by then Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.
- He continued in this role even when Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh were Chief Ministers. His rank as Chairman was equal to that of a State Minister.
- In 2002, Lakshman Acharya was promoted to the position of Regional Minister of the Kashi city within the BJP.
An old picture of Lakshman Acharya
- In 2004, he became the State President of the BJP’s SC/ST Wing in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked to uplift the SC/ST population and raised their issues for resolution by government agencies.
- After completing his term as State President of the BJP’s SC/ST Wing, Lakshman Acharya continued to serve in various positions within the BJP.
- In the 2014 general elections, there was an anticipation that Narendra Modi might contest from the Kashi city in district Varanasi in 2014. Therefore, in 2013, Lakshman Prasad Acharya was appointed as the President of the Kashi Region, overseeing 71 seats across 16 districts. Under his guidance, the BJP won almost all parliamentary seats in the Kashi Region in the 2014 elections.
Lakshman Acharya with Narendra Modi
- Acharya was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Upper House in 2015.
- In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Acharya was the President of the Kashi city. Under his leadership, the BJP won 54 out of 71 seats in the 16 districts of Kashi, achieving a 76% winning rate.
- In February 2018, Acharya was promoted to Vice-President of BJP Uttar Pradesh. That same year, he was named the convener of Narendra Modi’s parliamentary seat Varanasi for the 2019 general elections. Narendra Modi won the Varanasi seat with 4.80 lakh votes.
- In August 2020, Lakshman Prasad Acharya became the Deputy Leader of the House (Legislative Council) for the BJP.
- On 15 January 2021, he was appointed the Deputy Leader of the House for a second term. He worked in the position till 15 February 2023, when he resigned from the Legislative Council to take oath as the Governor of Sikkim.
- On 16 February 2023, Lakshman Prasad Acharya took oath as the 17th Governor of Sikkim. He was preceded by Ganga Prasad.
