BOSTON—Jayant Sinha, the Harvard-educated Bostonian and a resident of Chestnut Hill, MA, has been elected as a Member of India’s Parliament. He contested the parliamentary election on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Hazaribagh in the state of Jharkhand and won in the anti-incumbency wave against the ruling Congress Party and its allies.
Sinha, son of prominent BJP leader and former Finance Minister and Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, spent over 20 years in the United States, mostly in Boston and was a Partner at Mckinsey and in a venture capital firm. He was also a Partner at Omidyar Network, the world’s leading impact investment firm where he invested in a range of companies that generate both social as well as financial returns. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, where he met his wife, Punita. He also holds a MBA degree from prestigious Harvard Business School.
In the interview with INDIA New England News and IndUS Business Journal, he said that he was motivated to serve the country by “desh bhakti.” “I was born here, my father was working here. It means a lot to me to be able to make a meaningful contribution to 1400 villages that are in the constituency. It is an extraordinary responsibility to be able to improve the lives of the people here. If people like me do not want to do this, then who would?” Sinha said.
When asked about his future role in the US-India relations given his deep-seated educational and work background in the United States, he said: “I hope that I can connect the world’s oldest and largest democracies in many ways. Our cultures are inter-twined and I want to foster and strengthen all the linkages. We need to build on the good will and the strength and work on strategic relationships
I am very hopeful and looking forward.”
He said his father was very happy with the elections results and felt that a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. It is truly a huge burden to carry the hope and aspirations of two million people of a constituency, he added.
When asked what it has been like for his family to travel for campaigning from Chestnut Hill in Boston to Hazaribagh, he said: “It has been tough, but they have been extremely supportive. It has taken a toll on our family life, particularly my 13 year old son, as for several years, I have had to spent long periods of time away from them. Despite the challenges this will pose to the family’s lifestyle, they have supported me fantastically so that I can fulfill my mission. I would not be here if it was not for the support of my wife Punita and kids.”