Chandresh Kumari Katoch has served as the Union Cabinet Minister of Culture since October 28, 2012.
The 69-year-old was born into a royal, politically connected family in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Her father was the Maharaja, or king, of Jodhpur, a title her brother now holds. Both her parents were active in state politics.
After earning her bachelors at Jodhpur University, she married into another aristocratic family. Her husband Maharaja Aditya Katoch is the Maharaja of Kangra while the Minister is the Maharani, or queen. According the family website, “the Katoch clan is considered to be the purest amongst the pure Rajput clan's in India.”
Katoch began her political career in Himachal Pradesh politics. She was elected to the state’s Legislative Assembly in 1972 and re-elected in 1982. In 1977, she served as Deputy Minister and, in 1984, she served as Himachal’s Minister of State for Tourism.
In 1984, Katoch was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time. In 1996, she was elected to India’s upper house, the Rajya Sabha. From 1999 to 2003, she served as President of the Congress party’s women’s wing, the All India Mahila Congress. From 2003 to 2007, she returned to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, serving in the state’s cabinet.
Katoch was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009.
