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Born into a farmer's family in the village of Mundka in the capital, the 59-year-old Verma joined active politics in 1977 and was elected a member of the Delhi Municipal Corporation and re-elected in 1983.
A former activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Verma is a popular figure in the rural areas of Delhi and campaigned vigorously for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, which helped in the victory of the late Krishan Lal Sharma from Outer Delhi.
The constituency, which is among the largest in the country, was considered a stronghold of the Congress, but Verma turned it around in the BJP's favour.
A minister in the Delhi government under Madan Lal Khurana in 1993, he took over the mantle when Khurana resigned in 1996 in the wake of the havala scandal. Verma was forced to step down shortly before the state assembly election in 1998 in favour of party colleague Sushma Swaraj.
Under Khurana, Verma had held the portfolios of agriculture and irrigation as well as tourism.
PTI
The Complete Coverage: Cabinet Reshuffle 2002
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