Deepender Singh Hooda is an Indian politician & 4-term MP from the Indian National Congress, who is the current Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha representing Haryana. He also served as a three-term Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from Rohtak, where he represented the Indian National Congress. He is a Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the Indian National Congress. In his 15-years as the Rohtak MP, he helped set up an IIM, , an , besides the 5,500 acre which has companies like Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, Suzuki Motorcycles and others, attracting an investment of Rs 5,000 crore, besides setting up in his constituency. He continues to be engaged in academics and was named a at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington – its Poling Chair of Business and Government. He is the fourth generation of his family to be in public service: His father Bhupinder Singh Hooda served as the Chief Minister of Haryana for two terms while his grandfather, Ranbir Singh Hooda, was a freedom fighter, a member of the Constituent Assembly and Minister in Punjab and a member of Rajya Sabha. His great grandfather was a social reformer and a freedom fighter who worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi. Hooda was the youngest parliamentarian when he entered politics in 2005. His area of expertise includes rural infrastructure, water, agriculture, education and energy. He writes frequently on Indian economics and international affairs.
Political career
Hooda was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 and was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak for three terms. During the 16th Lok Sabha, he was the Whip of Indian National Congress in Parliament. He also served on several other statutory and Parliamentary bodies in various capacities as an elected Board Member of the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology; as a Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy; as Chairman of Indo-UK forum of Parliamentarians. In past, he has been a member of Parliamentary Standing Committees of Finance, External Affairs, Agriculture and Human Resource Development.
Corporate career
Deepender had worked in various companies in India and the United States, before being elected to the Lok Sabha in 2005, at the age of 27. He started his professional career with Reliance Industries Ltd, as a Management Trainee and then worked as a Software Engineer with Infosys Technologies Ltd, at their campus in Bengaluru. He then took a break to finish his MBA at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. After his MBA, he joined American Airlines/Sabre Holdings, Dallas, USA as a Senior Manager. He was offered a job at McKinsey & Company and came to India to take a short break between jobs but then decided to move to public service. He contested and won the Lok Sabha by-election from Rohtak in October, 2005.
World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader : He was named as a Young Global Leader in the year 2011. MIT's Bharat Asmita Jana Pratinidhi Shreshta award: In 2010 he received Bharat Asmita Jana Pratinidhi Shreshta award for the best young exponent of parliamentary practices for his work towards rural development through education and power generation.
Personal life
Deepender Hooda married Sweta Mirdha, granddaughter of Nathuram Mirdha who was one the tallest leaders of the Indian National Congress in Rajasthan. Her older sister, Jyoti Mirdha, is a former Congress MP from Nagaur in Rajasthan. Jyoti Mirdha is married to Narendra Gehlaut-Vice Chairman Indiabulls Real Estate. Sweta and Deepender have a young son Kesarbir who has started school. Hooda was earlier married to Geeta Grewal, they divorced in 2005.
