Born on May 3, 1959, Uma Bharti became involved into politics by joining the BJP at a young age.
She unsuccessfully contested her first parliamentary elections in 1984. However, in 1989, she successfully contested the Khajuraho seat, and retained it in elections conducted in 1991, 1996 and 1998.
In 1999, she switched constituencies and won the Bhopal seat.
During the second and third ministry of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bharti held various state-level and cabinet-level portfolios in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs and Sports, and also in Coal and Mines
In 2014, when Narendra Modi became the Indian Prime Minister, she was appointed the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and held this office until September 2017.
Bharti was one of the leaders who supported the controversial Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
In December 1992, she was among several prominent Sangh Parivar figures present at a rally in Ayodhya that developed into a riot, culminating in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Bharti was indicted for inciting a mob to violence by the Liberhan Commission that probed the incident.
She has, however, denied that she incited the mob and said she feels no regret and that she is willing to take "moral responsibility" for the demolition.
Bharti floated her own political party - Bharatiya Janshakti Party, in 2006 after falling out with the BJP. However, the party did not succeed politically after which she rejoined the BJP.
