Raghav Chadha | The prodigy who walked away

Raghav Chadha, 37, rarely misses an opportunity to underline two facts about himself: that he is the youngest member of the Rajya Sabha and that he comes from a non-political family. The two distinctions, he believes, set him apart from most of his parliamentary colleagues.

Born in November 1988 in Delhi, Raghav Chadha studied at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, one of the capital’s premier private schools. He trained as a chartered accountant, clearing the examination at the age of 22. After a brief stint in the corporate sector, he joined a wave of aspirational young professionals who, through the India Against Corruption movement, saw a pathway into politics — bypassing the traditional routes of student activism or family legacy.