Charan Das Mahant

Charan Das Mahant
Leader of the Opposition, Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 December 2023
Chief Minister	Vishnu Deo Sai
Preceded by	Narayan Chandel
Speaker of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly[1]
In office 4 January 2019 – 3 December 2023
Preceded by	Gaurishankar Agrawal
Succeeded by	Raman Singh
Constituency	Sakti
Minister of State, Ministry of Food Processing Industries
In office January 2013 – May 2014
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
In office 12 July 2011 – October 2011
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 2009–2014
Preceded by	Constituency Established
Succeeded by	Banshilal Mahto
Constituency	Korba
In office 1998–2004
Preceded by	Manharan Lal Pandey
Succeeded by	Karuna Shukla
Constituency	Janjgir
Member of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for Champa
In office 1980–1990
Preceded by	Bisahu Das Mahant
Succeeded by	Balihar Singh
In office 1993–1998
Preceded by	Balihar Singh
Succeeded by	Narayan Chandel
Minister Of State Government of Madhya Pradesh
In office 1988–1989
Personal details
Born	(1954-12-13) 13 December 1954 (age 69) Saragaon, Madhya Pradesh, India (now in Chhattisgarh, India)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Jyotsna Mahant ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	4
Parent	Bisahu Das Mahant (father)
Residences	New Delhi Korba
Education	MSc, M.A., LLB, PhD
Alma mater	GMVM, Bhopal Barkatullah University
Occupation	Reader, writer, agriculturist
Website	charandasmahant.in
As of 15 October, 2018 Source: [1]

Charan Das Mahant (born 13 December 1954) is an Indian politician from Indian National Congress who serves as the Opposition Leader in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly^[2][3]. He was the member of the Indian Parliament, representing Korba constituency.^[4] He is the former Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing.

Mahant was the only Congress Member of Parliament from Chhattisgarh during the 15th Lok-Sabha term. He first won the Lok Sabha seat in 1998 and then was re-elected in 1999 and 2009. Mahant was also appointed as the Working President of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. Mahant is also a writer, having authored 3 books of fiction and non-fiction, all of which are centered on India and its history, culture, politics, society, and more. Mahant firmly believes that the real development of India is not possible until we uplift the tribal life. So, he prepares action plan and organizes State-level programs for the uplifting of tribal life; encouraging and creating platforms for folk art such as drama, dance, and songs.