Manish Tewari (born 8 December 1965) is an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress, a lawyer and an author. He was Minister of State with independent charge of Information and Broadcasting in 2012–2014 and for years a national spokesperson of the party. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana, Anandpur Sahib and, in 2024, Chandigarh.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Manish Tewari |
| Born | 8 December 1965, Chandigarh, India |
| Age | 60 |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Office | Minister of Information and Broadcasting (2012–2014) |
| Constituency | Chandigarh (Lok Sabha, since 2024) |
| Education | St. John’s High School, Chandigarh; Panjab University (B.A.); University of Delhi (LL.B.) |
| Spouse | Naaznin Shafa |
| Children | 1 daughter |
Early Life
Tewari is the son of V. N. Tewari, a professor of Punjabi and a member of the Rajya Sabha, who was shot dead by militants in Chandigarh in 1984, and Amrit Tewari, a dentist who became dean of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. He took a law degree in Delhi and began practising in the Supreme Court and the Delhi and Punjab and Haryana High Courts.
Political Career
He was national president of the National Students’ Union of India from 1988 to 1993 and of the Indian Youth Congress from 1998 to 2000.
He lost Ludhiana in 2004 and won it in 2009. As party spokesperson he was among the Congress’s most combative voices on television. He joined Manmohan Singh‘s government in October 2012, pushing through the switch from analogue to digital cable television. He did not contest in 2014 for health reasons, then won Anandpur Sahib in 2019 and Chandigarh in 2024.
He was one of the “G-23” leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 asking for changes in how the party was run. His book on national security criticised his own government’s restraint after the Mumbai attacks of 2008. In 2025 he was a member of one of the all-party delegations sent abroad after Operation Sindoor.
Books
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Manish Tewari born?
Manish Tewari was born on 8 December 1965 in Chandigarh, India and is 60 years old.
Featured image: Manish Tewari, then Minister for Information and Broadcasting, speaks at the inauguration of the National Media Centre, New Delhi, 24 August 2013. Photo by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
