About
Hemant Khandelwal
A businessman who became a legislator, and a legislator who spent much of his career inside the party's organisational structure rather than in front of it.
Who he is
Hemant Khandelwal was born on 3 September 1964 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, and made his life in Betul, in the southern belt of Madhya Pradesh. He studied at J.H. Government College in Betul, taking a Bachelor of Commerce and then a Bachelor of Laws. He married Ritu Khandelwal in 1990; they have a son and a daughter.
Before politics, and alongside it, he has worked as a businessman. His interests lie in dairy, agriculture, and food and agro products — sectors that sit close to the rural economy of the district he represents. It is a background that has shaped how he approaches questions of the cooperative sector and farm-linked enterprise.
The family that preceded him
Politics in the Khandelwal family did not begin with him. His father, Vijay Kumar Khandelwal, became district president of the party in Betul in 1980, went on to serve as treasurer of the state unit, and represented Betul in the Lok Sabha for four consecutive terms. The family's political involvement is reported to reach back a further generation still, to a grandfather who contested against the Congress in the 1930s.
Vijay Kumar Khandelwal died in 2007. The by-election that followed, in 2008, was the moment his son entered electoral politics.
Entering public office
Khandelwal won that 2008 by-election and served as Member of Parliament for Betul until 2009. He then moved into the organisation, serving as the party's district president in Betul from 2010 to 2013.
In 2013 he contested the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly seat of Betul and won, defeating the Congress candidate Hemant Waghadare. He held the seat until 2018, when he lost it to Nilay Daga. He regained it in the 2023 Assembly election, defeating Daga in turn. Through much of that period he also served as treasurer of the state unit, from 2014 to 2018.
State President
On 2 July 2025 Khandelwal was elected unopposed as State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh — his was the only nomination filed. He received charge from the outgoing state president, V.D. Sharma, at the party headquarters in Bhopal. He continues to serve as the sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly for Betul, and as chairman of the Kushabhau Thakre Vichar Nyas, the state unit's think tank.
“My family has been fighting the Congress for over 100 years.”
The essentials.
- Full name
- Hemant Khandelwal
- Born
- 3 September 1964
- Birthplace
- Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Education
- Bachelor of Commerce; Bachelor of Laws — J.H. Government College, Betul
- Family
- Married Ritu Khandelwal in 1990; one son and one daughter. Son of Vijay Kumar Khandelwal and Kanti Khandelwal.
- Profession
- Businessman and politician; interests in dairy, agriculture, and food and agro products
- Party
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- Constituency
- Betul, Madhya Pradesh
- Current offices
- State President, Bharatiya Janata Party — Madhya Pradesh (since 2 July 2025); Member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for Betul (since 2023); Chairman, Kushabhau Thakre Vichar Nyas
Nine dates that shape the record.
Born on 3 September in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Marries Ritu Khandelwal.
Death of his father, Vijay Kumar Khandelwal, four-term Member of Parliament for Betul.
Wins the Betul Lok Sabha by-election; serves as Member of Parliament until 2009.
Appointed district president of the party in Betul, a role he holds until 2013.
Elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Betul.
Becomes treasurer of the state unit, serving until 2018.
Regains the Betul Assembly seat.
Elected unopposed as State President of the party in Madhya Pradesh on 2 July.
Scroll horizontally to move through the timeline →
Working through the structure.
What distinguishes Khandelwal's career from that of many contemporaries is how much of it has been spent inside the party's own apparatus. Treasurer, district president, chairman of the state think tank, convener for election management — these are roles that shape outcomes without producing headlines.
The same instinct is visible in how he has described the relationship between party and government. Speaking as State President, he has taken the position that it is not appropriate for the party to directly monitor the functioning of the government — a distinction between organisational work and administrative work that has been a consistent theme since he took charge.
He has also worked outside electoral structures. With the senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary Suresh Soni, he was involved in establishing Bharat Bharati, a model residential school for tribal students — an association that has been cited as a factor in his standing within the wider organisation.
A note on sourcing. The biographical details on this page are compiled from the public electoral record and from published press reporting. Where a statement is attributed, it is presented as reported rather than as a direct transcript.