Shishir Bajoria (born 1957) is an Indian politician, industrialist and the head of S K Bajoria Group, an Indian multinational with an annual turnover of US$330 million.[2][3]

Shishir Bajoria
Born
Shishir Bajoria

1956 or 1957 (age 66–67)[1]
NationalityIndian
OccupationIndustrialist
TitleHead of S K Bajoria Group
SpouseSmita Bajoria

Early life and education edit

Shishir Bajoria, born in Kolkata in one of the oldest Marwari families of the city, was educated at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. He is a third generation Marwari in Kolkata.[4] Bajoria is the youngest son of B P Bajoria, an industrialist based at Kolkata, who was non-executive director of companies including CESC Ltd, Texmaco Ltd and Kesoram Industries Ltd. B P Bajoria was also Honorary Consul General of Denmark in Kolkata and was knighted twice by the Queen of Denmark.[5]

Career edit

Bajoria is the promoter of the S K Bajoria Group based at Kolkata, which is engaged in diversified activities including the manufacture of specialised refractories for the steel industry, insurance broking, and third party administration for health insurance. He is the chairman of IFGL Refractories.[6]

Bajoria is vice-chairman of the Europe India Business Council (EIBC), an international non-profit association, based in Brussels, Belgium.[7] Bajoria is a past president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He has been on the board at Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Orissa Ltd, and West Bengal Industrial Development Corp. Ltd.[8]

He is the chairman, board of governors, Indian Institute of Management Shillong.[9] In May 2020, Bajoria was appointed as a member of the executive committee of Meghalaya Chief Minister's Economic Task Force, which aims to revive the economy of the state post-COVID-19 pandemic situation.[10]

Politics edit

Bajoria joined the BJP in August 2014,[11] and is a leader of the BJP in West Bengal.[12] Since 2016, Bajoria has been on BJP's election management committee of West Bengal.[13] Bajoria is a core committee member of BJP's foreign affairs department and Overseas Friends of BJP. Bajoria was one of those who released a statement in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.[14]

In May 2020, Bajoria wrote an open letter to Abhijit Banerjee who was appointed on the global advisory board for Covid19 West Bengal as its chairman by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.[15]

In the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, BJP made him the Convenor of the election management committee to oversee the elections in West Bengal, a responsibility given to the most trusted aides of the party.[4]

Bajoria has been named in connection with the Panama Papers.[16] He claimed that he had never owned Haptic BVI Ltd, the company of which he is listed as a beneficial owner. First Names Group, which includes Bajoria among its clients, along with Mossack Fonseca & Co, set up Haptic BVI Ltd issued a clarification through its representative stating that they made an administrative error on a form which they sent to Mossack Fonseca. The firm claimed that the erroneous beneficial owner information on the form was their own fault, as was the enclosure of the copy verification document.[16]

Personal life edit

Shishir Bajoria is married to Smita Bajoria, a businesswoman and owner of Ganges Art Gallery. They live in Kolkata.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ "Stocks". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. ^ "List of Public Companies Worldwide, Letter - Businessweek - Businessweek". Bloomberg News.
  3. ^ "Bajoria Group Companies".
  4. ^ a b "'Mamata knows her defeat is certain'". Rediff.
  5. ^ "B P Bajoria".
  6. ^ "Shishir Kumar Bajoria: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg, Letter - Bloomberg - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News.
  7. ^ "EIBC".
  8. ^ "Shishir Kumar Bajoria - Biography - 4-Traders, Letter - 4-Traders - 4-Traders".
  9. ^ Pathak, Vikas (16 September 2017). "Four IIMs to get new chairmen". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Meghalaya CM constitutes task force to revive the economy of the state". Outlook. 6 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Bajoria Group boss dumps CPM for BJP". The Times of India. 24 August 2014.
  12. ^ "ED questions BJP leader Shishir Bajoria over investments in offshore firms". hindustantimes.com. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Ball is in Paks court over talks with India, says BJP foreign affairs chief". Outlook. 28 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Over 1,000 academicians release statement in support of CAA". Financial Express. 21 December 2019.
  15. ^ "'What's the plan for West Bengal?' BJP leader Shishir Bajoria writes an open letter to Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee". NewsCrater. 12 May 2020.
  16. ^ a b "#PanamaPapersIndia Part 1: Clients who knocked on a Panama door". The Indian Express. 4 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Indian merchant finds there's an art to capitalism". The Sunday Morning Herald. 29 January 2008.