{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Digvijay Singh's Old Friend's Son Quit HDFC Bank for the BJP, Now He's a Hindu Member of Madhya Pradesh's Waqf Board",
  "summary": "Among the first two non-Muslim members ever appointed to Madhya Pradesh's Waqf Board, Guna's Animesh Bhargava is drawing the most attention, given his father's decades-old friendship with Digvijay Singh.",
  "content": "Madhya Pradesh has made history by appointing two non-Muslim members to its state Waqf Board for the first time in the country, and the most talked-about name on that list is Animesh Bhargava, a resident of Raghogarh in Guna district. What makes it even more interesting is that Raghogarh is the hometown of senior Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh, and Animesh's father is known for his close friendship with him.\n\nA Father's Friendship, A Son's Different Ideology\nAshok Bhargava, a well-known lawyer by profession, has shared not just a close relationship but a deep, unbreakable friendship with Digvijay Singh since 1975. His son Animesh Bhargava, however, chose a completely different path, moving away from the family's political leanings. From the very beginning, Animesh gravitated towards nationalism and the ideology of the RSS and the BJP. About a decade ago, he quit a comfortable job as a manager at HDFC Bank and moved to Bhopal with his wife. Since then, he has been serving selflessly as a full-time worker at the BJP's state office, with managing the party office from morning till late night becoming his everyday routine.\n\nMadhya Pradesh Becomes the First State to Enforce the Amended Waqf Law\nThrough an official notification published in the Madhya Pradesh Gazette on 4 July 2026, the state became the first in the country to implement the stringent provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Until now, under the older Waqf Act of 1995, only members of the Muslim community could sit on the board. In 2025, the central government brought in a landmark amendment making it mandatory for every state's Waqf board to have at least two non-Muslim members. Acting on this provision, the Madhya Pradesh government named Sanwer Patel of Indore as the board's new chairman, while including Animesh Bhargava of Guna and Manoj Malpani of Indore as Hindu members, setting a new precedent for the country.\n\nFrom Finance Professional to BJP Media Panelist\nHolding an MBA in Finance, Animesh Bhargava carries close to 18 years of experience working in the finance and corporate sector. He currently represents the party as a media panelist for the Madhya Pradesh BJP. Looking back at his organisational journey, around a decade ago, during the Raghogarh municipal council elections, he made a strong bid for the BJP's president candidacy ticket. Due to political calculations within the party at the time, he did not get the ticket. Rather than being discouraged, he devoted himself entirely to organisational work, moved to Bhopal, and became fully immersed in mainstream state politics. It is the result of this sustained hard work and dedication that he has now been handed this significant, national-level responsibility.\n\nWho's on the New Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board Team\nAccording to the new notification, the following have been included in the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board:\n\n• Animesh Bhargava (Raghogarh, Guna): Member, non-Muslim\n• Manoj Malpani (Indore): Member, non-Muslim\n• Dr. Najma Heptulla (New Delhi): Member, term until April 2028\n• Atif Aqeel, MLA Bhopal North: Member\n• Shaista Sultan, Councillor Berasia, Bhopal: Member\n• Shabana Khan, Councillor Ratlam: Member\n• Commissioner, Backward Classes and Minority Welfare Department: Ex-officio member\n\nBy including representatives of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities on its Waqf Board team, the state government has secured its position as the first in the country to fully implement the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: Under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, every state's Waqf board must now have at least two non-Muslim members, so other states are likely to see similar board reconstitutions going forward.\n• In Madhya Pradesh: Decisions on Waqf properties in the state will now involve the new team, including Sanwer Patel, Animesh Bhargava and Manoj Malpani, directly affecting how Waqf assets are managed in areas like Guna, Indore, Bhopal and Ratlam.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Why were Hindu members appointed to the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board?\nUnder the central government's Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, every state's Waqf board must now have at least two non-Muslim members, and this appointment was made under that rule.\n\n2. Who is Animesh Bhargava?\nHe is a resident of Raghogarh in Guna district, holds an MBA in Finance, has nearly 18 years of finance and corporate experience, and has served as a media panelist for the Madhya Pradesh BJP.\n\n3. What is Animesh Bhargava's connection to Digvijay Singh?\nThere is no direct connection, but his father Ashok Bhargava, a lawyer by profession, has been a close friend of Digvijay Singh since 1975.\n\n4. Who is the new chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board?\nSanwer Patel of Indore has been named the new chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board.\n\n5. When was this notification issued?\nThe official notification was published in the Madhya Pradesh Gazette on 4 July 2026.\n\n6. What did Animesh Bhargava do before entering party work?\nAbout a decade ago he was working as a manager at HDFC Bank, a job he left to become a full-time BJP worker.\n\nInspiration & Lessons\nAnimesh Bhargava's journey shows that patience and selfless hard work eventually pay off.\n\n• He had the courage to walk away from a stable, well-paying job to follow his convictions.\n• When denied a ticket, he chose to throw himself into organisational work rather than sulk over the setback.\n• He served selflessly for years as a full-time party worker, managing office duties from morning till late night.\n• He built on his education and professional experience to rise to a role as the party's media panelist.\n• His consistency and dedication ultimately earned him an important, national-level responsibility.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/madhya-pradesh/hdfc-bainka-ki-naukari-chhora-rss-bjp-se-jure-guna-ke-animesh-bhargava-ko-mili-madhya-pradesh-waqf-board-men-sadasya-ki-jimmedari-5277",
  "category": "Madhya Pradesh",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-06",
  "tags": [
    "Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board",
    "Animesh Bhargava",
    "Waqf Amendment Act",
    "Digvijay Singh",
    "BJP",
    "Guna Raghogarh"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}