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OP Soni Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth3 July 1957

Age66 Years (as of 2023)

BirthplaceBhilowal, Amritsar, Punjab

ProfessionPolitician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSuman Soni

FamilySon - Vikas Soni; Father - Jagat Mitter Soni; Mother - Prem Soni

OP Soni Biography

Om Parkash (OP) Soni is an Indian National Congress politician from Amritsar, Punjab. A long-serving legislator and former state minister, Soni has held as

Early life and background

Om Parkash Soni was born on 3 July 1957 in Bhilowal, Amritsar, Punjab. He completed his schooling at Government Senior Secondary School in Lopoke and is recorded as having finished education up to the 12th grade. Soni’s hometown has long been Amritsar, where he later began his political career and established his public life.

Career

Soni entered active politics in 1991 when he joined the Indian National Congress and was appointed mayor of Amritsar the same year. He moved from municipal leadership to state politics by winning a seat in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Amritsar West constituency in 1997. He retained that seat in successive elections in 2002 and 2007.

Following a constituency change, Soni contested from Amritsar Central and won in 2012. He was reelected from Amritsar Central in 2017. During his time in the state government, he served in ministerial roles, including as the minister responsible for school education. In 2019 he was assigned the portfolio of Medical Education and Research; he publicly resisted that reassignment and briefly stayed away from taking charge of the new office.

Soni was named as one of the deputy chief ministers of Punjab in 2021 alongside Sukhjinder Randhawa, while Charanjit Singh Channi took the chief minister’s post. The swearing-in took place on 20 September 2021 at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, with senior Congress leaders present at the ceremony.

Electoral contests and notable moments

Beyond his repeated victories as an MLA, Soni contested the 2009 parliamentary election from Amritsar, where he ran against Navjot Singh Sidhu and lost by a narrow margin. He pursued legal challenges following that result and later withdrew a related defamation case when Sidhu joined the Congress.

Soni has been involved in party and assembly actions on wider state issues. In November 2016, he participated in the group resignation submitted to the Punjab Assembly Secretary that protested a Supreme Court ruling related to the Satluj-Yamuna Link matter.

Public profile

Soni is affiliated with the Indian National Congress, a party he joined in 1991, and has been a prominent figure in Punjab state politics for decades. Personal details recorded in public filings and reports list his height at approximately 178 cm (5 ft 8 in), and his appearance is described with black hair and black eyes. He is married to Suman Soni and the couple have a son, Vikas Soni. His parents are named Jagat Mitter Soni and Prem Soni.

Soni’s religion is recorded as Hinduism. Public asset declarations submitted in the past list various movable and immovable assets, and a net worth figure is recorded for 2017. He has also taken part in state initiatives; for example, in 2018 he and his son cooperated with a government-mandated dope testing exercise.

Controversies and legal matters

A disproportionate-assets inquiry into Soni was reported in 2023. Authorities arrested him on 9 July 2023 in connection with an allegation that he had amassed wealth beyond known sources of income during the 2016–2022 period; an FIR was registered under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act following an inquiry ordered in October 2022.

Latest updates

Soni continues to be a figure in Punjab’s political landscape, known for multiple terms as an MLA, ministerial responsibilities at the state level, and for having served as a deputy chief minister. Public records provide his basic personal and professional details and document legal and administrative developments that have affected his public career.
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Recent Work

Minister of School Education, Punjab

Served as the minister in charge of school education in the Punjab government.

2018
Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab

Appointed deputy chief minister and took oath on 20 September 2021.

2021
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined the Indian National Congress in 1991 and became Mayor of Amritsar that year
  2. Elected MLA from Amritsar West (1997, 2002, 2007) and Amritsar Central (2012, 2017)
  3. Appointed Punjab’s Minister of School Education and later served as Deputy Chief Minister in 2021
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was OP Soni born?

3 July 1957

What is OP Soni known for?

Politician

What is OP Soni’s marital status?

Married

Who is OP Soni married to?

Suman Soni