- Name: Poonam Vajendla Rao alias Poonam Mahajan
- Constituency: Mumbai North Central
Poonam Mahajan is a two-time Lok Sabha MP who has represented the Mumbai-North-Central constituency in the 16th (2014) and 17th (2019) Lok Sabha sessions.
In the 2019 general elections, 53.97% of the votes were cast in Poonam’s favour as opposed to her closest rival, Priya Dutt of the Indian National Congress, who got 39.55% of the votes cast by the 8.95 lakh voters. Poonam defeated Priya by 1,30,005 votes, a margin lesser compared to 2014 when she won by a margin of 1.86 lakh votes.
Poonam is the daughter of late Pramod Mahajan, who was a senior BJP leader and had served at union minister. He was murdered by his brother Praveen Mahajan at his residence.
Poonam represents the Mumbai North Central constituency which includes areas of Bandra, Khar, Santacruz and Vile Parle in Mumbai.
Who is Poonam Mahajan?
| Name | Poonam Vajendla Rao |
| Age | 43 years |
| Political Party | BJP |
| Educational Qualification | Level-5, BTEC Professional Diploma in Leadership Educated at Brighton School of Business Management Limited |
| Profession | Politician |
| Enrolled as Voter in | 182 Worli (Maharashtra) constituency, at Serial no 133 in Part no 48 |
| poonam.mahajan@sansad.nic.incontact@poonammahajan.in | |
| Contact Number | 9821018936, 9322877777 |
| Address | 703, A-Wing, Signature Island, Opposite Sofitel Hotel, Bandra, Kurla Complex, Bandra East Mumbai-400 053, Maharashtra |
Online presence:
- Website: http://www.poonammahajan.in/
- Facebook: Poonam Mahajan
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/poonam.mahajan/?hl=en
- YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-4lZ2r06vMoFBBUF-3IotA
- Twitter: @poonam_mahajan
Criminal Cases
Poonam Mahajan has two criminal cases related to cheque bouncing against her under section 138 of the Indian Penal Code.
Assets and liabilities
In 2019, when Poonam declared her assets, it became a topic of discussion as more than 90% of the assets were removed. These were immovable assets, a house in Mumbai and land in Maharashtra.
| Details | Holdings in 2014 | Holdings in 2019 | Change in 5 years |
| Movable assets | Rs 46.52 crore | Rs 2.22 crore | Rs – 44.3 crore |
| Immovable assets | Rs. 61.56 crore | NA | Rs – 61.56 crore |
| Total Assets (Movable + Immovable) | Rs. 108.08 crore | Rs 2. 22 | Rs – 105.86 |
| Liabilities | Rs. 41.44 crore | 0 | Rs 41.44 |
Read more: Explainer: All you need to know about voter registration
Important positions held by Poonam Mahajan
- In the 17th Lok Sabha:
- Member, Consultative Committee — Ministry of Textiles (October 2019 onwards)
- Member, Standing Committee on External Affairs (September 209 onwards)
- In 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019):
- Member, National Institute of Fashion Technology (May 2016 – May 2019)
- Member, Committee on Estimates ( May 2016 – April 2017)
- Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs
- Member, Committee on Private Members` Bills and Resolutions ( Dec. 2014 – May 2019)
- Member of Standing Committee on Urban Development (1 Sep. 2014 – 25 May 2019)
How did Poonam perform in the Parliament
Poonam has an average attendance of 86%, with a hundred percent attendance in the budget session of 2024 and the special session of 2023. In all sessions across the five years her attendance has been over 80% except in the monsoon session of 2021 when it dropped to 65%. Her attendance is better than national average of 79% and state average of 74%.
| MP | Attendance | No of debates participated | No of questions asked | Private Member’s Bill |
| Poonam Mahajan | 86% | 7 | 307 | 0 |
| National average | 79% | 46.7 | 210 | 1.5 |
| State average | 74% | 57.6 | 386 | 2.9 |
Summary of debates and questions:
She participated in 7 debates, which included topics such as
- The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023
- The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023
- The Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023
- The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019
- Regarding proposal for Veer Savarkar Memorial in Marseilles, France
She asked 307 questions in parliament, higher than the national average but lower than the state average of 210 and 386 respectively. She asked about schemes for higher education, beneficiaries of these schemes and targets achieved under the same. Apart from that she raised the issue of atomic energy production and steps taken by he Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) to reach the target.
Poonam also raised the issue of employment for women under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and asked if the union government proposed to to
increase the number of employment days from 100 to 150 days for women.
The full list of the questions the MP asked and the position he took in debates, is available here.
Poonam did not introduce any private member’s Bill.
Poonam Mahajan’s MPLADS Spending
| Recommended amount | Rs 9.85 crore |
| Utilised amount | Rs 8.38 crore |
| Balance | Rs 1.47 crore |
Poonam Mahajan in news
Poonam is often in the news for her love for animals, especially dogs. The media has likened her to Maneka Gandhi for this. She is also known for her love of Indian textiles, especially sarees and was an important part of the event called “One Bharat Sari Walkathon — Diverse Threads, United Strides”.
There are reports that she may not be given a BJP ticket for the upcoming 2024 general elections. She has been critical of Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, going to the extent of calling him “Rahul Gandagi”.