OP Soni is an Indian politician and a representative of the Indian National Congress (INC). OP Soni was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar Central for two consecutive terms and was also a minister in the Punjab government in charge of the school education department.
Wiki/Biography
Om Prakash Soni, popularly known as OP Soni, was born on Wednesday, July 3, 1957, in Bilawal, Amritsar, Punjab (age 64; as of 2021). His zodiac sign is Cancer. OP Soni completed her education from Government High School, Loppok, Punjab. OP Soni started his political journey in 1991 with the Indian National Congress (INC).
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
OP Soni’s father’s name is Jagat Mitter Soni and her mother’s name is Prem Soni.
wife and children
OP Soni is married to Suman Soni and has a son, Vikas Soni.
OP Sony and his wife
religion
OP Soni is Hindu.
Profession
OP Soni’s political career began when he was appointed as the mayor of Amritsar. In 1997, OP Soni contested and won the Punjab Legislative Assembly elections in the western district of Amritsar. After his first term in 1997, OP Soni was appointed twice (2002 and 2007) from Amritsar West constituency. In 2009, OP Soni contested against Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Assembly elections, but he lost by a margin of 6,858 votes. After serving three successful terms, OP Soni decided to cover more service areas and contested the 2012 Legislative Assembly elections from Amritsar Central. He won the election and was re-elected as MLA for the same constituency in 2017. In 2017, Captain Amarinder Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab, but OP Soni was ignored by him during the cabinet selection process. However, in 2018, OP Soni was appointed as School Education Minister. On September 20, 2021, Charanjit Singh Chani was appointed as the Chief Minister of Punjab and further appointed OP Soni and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa as the two Deputy Chief Ministers. The oath-taking ceremony was held in Chandigarh Punjab. The ceremony was held in the presence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and state in-charge Harish Rawat.
(LR) OP Soni, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Banwarilal Purohit, Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Gandhi, Harish Rawat
dispute
Arrested by the Vigilance Bureau
On July 9, 2023, he was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Directorate for allegedly amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income between 2016 and 2022. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against him under Section 13 (1) (b) and Section 13 (1) (b). Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. This action follows the launch of an investigation on October 10, 2022.
net worth
According to the affidavit given by OP Soni during the 2017 Legislative Assembly elections, his net worth is Rs. 172.8 Crores.
assets/property
Activity
- Deposits in banks, financial institutions, etc.: Rs. 920,000
- LIC or other insurance: Rs. 1.6 million
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 450,000
- Jewelry: Rs. 6.875 million
- Cash: Rs. 620,000
real estate
- Agricultural land: Rs. 2 Crores
- Non-agricultural land: Rs. 22.4 Crores Rs.
- Residential Building: Rs. 130 million rupees
Facts/Trivia
- In November 2016, several senior leaders of the Congress party, including Captain Amarinder Singh and Partap Singh Bajwa, accompanied provincial legislators to the office of the Punjab Assembly Secretary to submit their resignations. The move was in protest against the Supreme Court of India’s ruling in the Satluj-Yamuna Link (YSL); the decision favored Haryana.
- After the 2009 assembly election results were announced, OP Soni challenged the results in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and also filed a defamation case against Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar after Sidhu accused him of being involved in drug trafficking. litigation. In 2017, Soni withdrew the case after Sidhu joined the Congress party.
- In 2018, Captain Amarinder Singh ordered mandatory drug testing for all government employees. The campaign was launched to address the problem of drug abuse in Punjab. OP Soni and his son Vikas Soni then went to a government-approved testing laboratory and handed over their urine samples for testing.
OP Soni and his son Vikas Soni hand over urine samples for testing
- It was reported that Bram Mohindra will be appointed as Deputy Chief Minister during the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister election; however, in the morning, news came out that his name has been replaced by that of OP Soni. Sources revealed that Sidhu played a role in the sudden change and OP Soni’s name was brought in for the change due to his close association with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In 2017, during the cabinet minister election meeting, OP Soni’s name was personally recommended for the ministerial post by Manmohan Singh.
- In 2019, Captain Amarinder Singh changed OP Soni’s portfolio and made him the Minister of Medical Education and Research, to which Soni decided to protest against the decision and cease to hold charge of the office within two weeks. He also publicly blamed several senior members of the party, saying their interference led to the reshuffle, which affected several ministers because they lost the positions they wanted.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education