Jyotiraditya Scindia A brief Profile ....

He has had to wait a long while in the wings but the wait has paid off for 37-year-old Jyotiraditya Scindia, MP from Guna. His name was doing rounds as a possible minister ever since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government took office in May 2004.

Many believe Scindia, scion of the former royal family of Gwalior, was born to rule. He did his schooling from the prestigious Doon School - like former Congress prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and many of his cabinet colleagues - completed his graduation from Harvard University and then earned an MBA from Stanford University.

After graduation, he interned with the UN economic development cell and later worked as an investment banker with global financial services firms Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. He also set up his own investment firm in Mumbai called Scindia Investments Private Limited.

A crowned 'Maharaja' after his father Madhavrao Scindia, a charismatic leader and seasoned politician who died in a plane crash in September 2001, Jyotiraditya Scindia was first elected to the Lok Sabha from his father's constituency in February 2002.

Just like his father, being a politician has not been very easy for him because he had to fight political battles against his own family - his father's sisters and his cousins are in the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Articulate and a good orator both in English and Hindi, Scindia is often seen fiddling with his latest model mobile phone in the Lok Sabha. He is, however, an active participant in debates. A regular in the house, Scindia takes an avid interest in discussions and his favourite issues are diverse - from economy to foreign policy and environment.

Though a regular in Page 3 parties, Scindia is equally passionate about endangered tigers and global warming just as he feels strongly about the lack of educational facilities for the poor in rural India.

Scindia, who loves sports, is a sharp shooter and interestingly enough has done a course in car racing from the US. He is married to Priyadarshini Raje Gaekwad of the erstwhile royal family of Vadodara and the couple has a 12-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.