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Bhagat Singh Koshyari Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth17 June 1942

Age84 Years

BirthplacePalanadhura Chetabgarh, Bageshwar District, United Provinces, British India (now Uttarakhand, India)

ProfessionPolitician, Social Activist, Teacher, Journalist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Gopal Singh Koshyari (deceased); Mother - Motima Devi (deceased); Siblings include Nandan Singh Koshyari and Jagat Singh Namti

Bhagat Singh Koshyari Biography

Bhagat Singh Koshyari is an Indian educator, journalist, social activist and veteran politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and,

Early life and background

Bhagat Singh Koshyari was born on 17 June 1942 in Palanadhura Chetabgarh in what is now Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand. Raised in a family where his father worked as a farmer and his mother was a homemaker, he completed schooling across small towns in Uttarakhand before attending Almora College. He holds a BA and an MA in English. In his youth he was active in student politics, serving as general secretary of the Almora College student union in the early 1960s.

Career

Koshyari began his professional life as an English teacher and later established several educational institutions in Uttarakhand, including Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Pithoragarh, Vivekanand Vidya Mandir Inter College in Pithoragarh and Saraswati Vihar Higher Secondary School in Nainital. He also worked in journalism, founding the weekly Parvat Piyush in 1975 and contributing columns to regional and national newspapers.

Politically, he emerged from grassroots activism in the RSS and took part in anti-emergency protests during the mid-1970s; those activities led to his detention under MISA from July 1975 until March 1977. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in its early decades and contested parliamentary and state elections for the party. After entering the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council in 1997, he served on multiple legislative committees and in advisory roles related to development and planning.

Following the creation of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh, Koshyari was appointed Minister of Energy, Irrigation, Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs in November 2000, a post he held until October 2001. He then became the second Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, serving from 30 October 2001 to 1 March 2002. After the BJP lost the 2002 state assembly elections, he served as leader of the opposition in the Uttarakhand assembly. He won assembly elections from the Kapkot constituency, and later represented Uttarakhand in the Rajya Sabha from 26 November 2008 to 16 May 2014.

In national politics he contested Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket; he lost from Almora in 1989 but won a parliamentary seat from Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar in 2014. During his parliamentary tenure he was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy from 2009 to 2014.

Constitutional posts

Koshyari was appointed the 22nd Governor of Maharashtra in September 2019 and held that office until February 2023. He also carried additional charge as Governor of Goa between August 2020 and July 2021.

Public profile

Throughout his long career Koshyari has been known for roles that span education, journalism, social activism and formal politics. He has been identified with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party for decades. Personal details frequently cited in public records include his hobbies of reading and trekking, a vegetarian diet, and the sobriquet Bhagat Da.

Family and personal life

Koshyari comes from a large family; his parents were Gopal Singh Koshyari and Motima Devi. He is unmarried and is reported to have several siblings, including brothers active in journalism. His hometown remains Bageshwar in Uttarakhand.

Latest updates

Public records note that he resigned the governorship of Maharashtra in 2023. In recognition of his long public service, an honour listed for 2026 is the Padma Bhushan.

His declared assets and past financial disclosures have been made part of public filings; those filings include details of bank deposits, movable and immovable assets and an estimated net worth figure reported for 2014.

Legacy

Koshyari’s career spans classroom teaching, founding schools, journalism, legislative work and executive roles at both state and constitutional levels. He played a visible part in Uttarakhand’s early years as a separate state and later represented the state at the national level in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha before taking on gubernatorial responsibilities.
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Recent Work

Governor of Maharashtra

Served as the 22nd Governor of Maharashtra from 5 September 2019 to 12 February 2023; also held additional charge as Governor of Goa (18 August 2020 - 6 July 2021).

2019-2023
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded regional educational institutions and the weekly Parvat Piyush
  2. Detained under MISA during the Emergency (1975–1977)
  3. Minister of Energy, Irrigation, Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs (Nov 2000–Oct 2001)
  4. Second Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (30 Oct 2001–1 Mar 2002)
  5. Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand (2008–2014)
  6. 22nd Governor of Maharashtra (2019–2023)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Bhagat Singh Koshyari born?

17 June 1942

What is Bhagat Singh Koshyari known for?

Politician, Social Activist, Teacher, Journalist

What is Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s marital status?

Unmarried