Raaj Kumar Anand

Anand was born on 14 September 1966.^[4] He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Bundelkhand University.^[5]

He began his political career with the Aam Aadmi Party. In 2011, Anand joined the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption Movement and became one of the early members of the AAP in 2012.^[6] He served as an MLA from Patel Nagar after winning the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.^[7][8][9] He established the Anand Path Foundation, in which, he initiated several programs to uplift underprivileged communities, including the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Pathshala in December 2018, for facilitating education of children in slum areas.^{[citation needed]} During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anand set up a COVID care centre in Patel Nagar in May 2021.^[10] In November 2022, he was inducted into the Delhi Cabinet, where he was assigned under department of Social Welfare, SC & ST, in Gurudwara Elections, and the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.^[11][12] As the Delhi Cabinet Minister, Anand spearheaded the implementation of the Delhi Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2023, a move to enhance workplace safety and increase women’s participation in the workforce.^[13] He also actively monitored governance initiatives, while inspecting the enforcement of the non-essential truck ban at Delhi's Singhu border to ensure compliance.^[14] He inaugurated the new pharmacy block at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital in April 2023.^[15] In April 2024, Anand resigned from AAP and the Delhi Cabinet, citing inadequate representation of Dalits within the party.^{[16][17][18][19]} He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July 2024 and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections from New Delhi..^[20][21]