Arjun Munda: Popular tribal leader who loves golf, painting

Arjun Munda is a prominent tribal face not only in his home state of Jharkhand but also in neighbouring Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

A three-time chief minister, Munda edged out Congress's Kalicharan Munda by a wafer thin margin of just 1445 votes in Khunti(ST) seat besides campaigning for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

He is a passionate golf player and loves playing the flute and spends his spare time in art and painting.

He has also promoted archery in the tribal state. He runs an archery academy and was instrumental in the rise of ace archer Deepika Kumari in international championships.

A witness to the rise and fall of governments in Jharkhand since its inception in 2000 to 2014, Munda was himself a victim twice to the politics of musical chairs when Independent MLA Madhu Koda toppled him in September, 2006 and then the JMM pulled down his government in 2013.

Munda first became chief minister in March, 2003 when he replaced the state's first chief minister Babulal Marandi after JDU and Samata Party MLAs had revolted against the latter's style of functioning. He was the tribal affairs minister in the first Marandi-led NDA government.

The 51-year-old tribal leader also won a by-election for Lok Sabha seat from Jamshedpur and held the post of BJP's national general secretary.

Munda, who began his career with the JMM during the statehood struggle before joining the saffron brigade, was first elected as MLA in 1995 in undivided Bihar and went on to win three consecutive terms from Kharsawan before losing the seat in 2014.