Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati | |
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Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
In office 13 June 2016 – 3 May 2022 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati 11 February 1971 |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse | Sanyogeetaraje Chhatrapati |
Children | Shahajiraje Chhatrapati |
Parents |
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Residence | New Palace, Kolhapur |
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
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Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati (born 11 February 1971) is an Indian politician, who served as the member in the upper house of the Parliament of India.[1] He is heir to Kolhapur royal family as the 13th direct descendant of the Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and great-grandson of Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur;[2] both were educated at the Rajkumar College, Rajkot a century apart.
Low profile and soft-spoken, he was the face of Maratha protest for reservation in 2011–19.[3] He is currently an independent politician.[4][5]
On 11 June 2016, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.[6]
On 12 May 2022, he founded Swarajya Sanghatan, a social Organisation.[7]
In July 2024, he, along with hundreds of his supporters, staged a march to the Vishalgad Fort. Violence broke out in Gajapur village, 3 km away from the fort, where his followers vandalized and ransacked several properties belonging to Muslim families.[8][9][10]
While the Muslim community blames the ruling Mahayuti government – comprising the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP – it claims that Sambhaji Raje's campaign had by far remained peaceful.