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Rajinder Gupta

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Rajinder Gupta
Gupta in 2006
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 October 2025
Preceded bySanjeev Arora
ConstituencyPunjab
Personal details
Born (1959-01-02) 2 January 1959 (age 67)
Bathinda, Punjab, India
PartyBharatiya Janata Party
Other party
Aam Aadmi Party (until 2026)
SpouseMadhu Gupta
ChildrenAbhishek Gupta
Neha Gupta
Occupation
  • Politician
  • industrialist
Awards
Padma Shri (2007)

Rajinder Gupta (born 2 January 1959) is an Indian politician and industrialist who has been serving as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab since October 2025. He is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Trident Group, an Indian conglomerate engaged in textiles, paper and chemicals.[1]

Gupta was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 for his contributions to trade and industry.[2] In 2025, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of India's Parliament, representing the state of Punjab.[3]

Early life and business career

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Gupta was born on 2 January 1959 in Bathinda, Punjab.[4] He began his entrepreneurial career in the 1980s with the establishment of Abhishek Industries, a fertiliser manufacturing venture founded in 1985. He later entered the textile sector in 1991 with the establishment of a yarn manufacturing unit in Barnala, Punjab.[5]

The business was rebranded as the Trident Group in 2011 and expanded into home textiles, paper, chemicals and power generation. The group operates manufacturing facilities in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh and exports its products internationally.[6]

In 2022, Gupta stepped down from executive responsibilities and assumed the role of Chairman Emeritus, citing health and family reasons.[7]

Political career

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In 2025, he was fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Punjab.[8] He was elected unopposed following the resignation of Sanjeev Arora in October 2025 and was sworn in as a Member of Parliament on 6 November.[3]

Prior to his election, Gupta resigned from public positions, including his role as Vice-Chairman of the Punjab State Economic Policy and Planning Board.[9]

According to declarations reported by The Times of India, Gupta disclosed assets worth over ₹5,000 crore in his election affidavit.[10]

On 24 April 2026, he defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party along with 6 other Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha and Swati Maliwal.[11]

Public and institutional roles

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Gupta has held several public and institutional roles, including:

  • Vice-Chairman, Punjab State Economic Policy and Planning Board[12]
  • Chairman, Board of Governors, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed University), Chandigarh[13]
  • Chairman, Advisory Council for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)[14]
  • Member, Governing Council - Chandigarh Citizens Foundation[15]

He has also been involved in sports administration and served as president of the Punjab Cricket Association.[16]

Awards and recognition

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  • Padma Shri (2007) – Awarded by the Government of India for contributions to trade and industry.[2]
  • Vastra Ratna (Special Achiever) Award – Conferred by the Textile Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL).[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Rajinder Gupta". Forbes.
  2. ^ a b "Padma Shri Awardees 2007". Government of India.
  3. ^ a b "Sat Paul Sharma, Rajinder Gupta take oath as newly elected members of Rajya Sabha". ETV Bharat.
  4. ^ "Meet Man Who Dropped Out Of School, Made Cement Pipes For Rs 30 Per Day—Now Richest In Ludhiana, Net Worth Will Shock You". Zee News. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  5. ^ "AAP RS pick with rags-to-riches story, Rajinder Gupta's stock has always soared in Punjab politics". The Print.
  6. ^ "About Trident Group". Trident Group.
  7. ^ "Rajinder Gupta steps down as Chairman-cum-MD of Trident Limited". The Times of India.
  8. ^ "AAP fields industrialist Rajinder Gupta for Rajya Sabha bypoll from Punjab". The Hindu.
  9. ^ "Industrialist Rajinder Gupta likely to be AAP choice for Rajya Sabha bypoll". Hindustan Times.
  10. ^ "The billionaire Aam Aadmi with Rs 5,053 cr assets". The Times of India.
  11. ^ "Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh: Raghav Chadha Names 7 AAP MPs Joining BJP". NDTV.
  12. ^ "Rajinder Gupta is vice-chairperson of Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board". Hindustan Times.
  13. ^ "Chairman Board of Governors PEC Rajinder Gupta honoured". Punjab Engineering College.
  14. ^ "FICCI State Advisory Council". FICCI.
  15. ^ "Chandigarh Citizen's foundation Governing Council". chandigarhcitizensfoundation.
  16. ^ "Punjab Cricket Association elects new president amid nepotism claims". ESPNcricinfo.
  17. ^ "Vastra Ratna Awards". TEXPROCIL.
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