Uma Ragini Bharti (Hindi: उमा भारती) (born May 3, 1959, Madhya Pradesh, India), is an Indian politician. She was born to a religious Lodhi Rajput family and from a very young age, started holding discourses on Indian Epics. Raised under the care of the late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior, Uma Bharati, along with Sadhvi Ritambhara, played a prominent part in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. Her signature slogan during the movement was, "राम-लाला हम आएंगे, मदिंर वही बनाएंगे!" ("Ramlala Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge") which translates to "Dear Ram come we will, build a mandir here we will".
At a young age, she became involved with the Bharatiya Janata Party. She contested her first Parliamentary elections in 1984, but was defeated due to the massive sympathy wave for the slain Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. In 1989, she successfully contested the Khajurao seat, and retained it in elections conducted in 1991, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, she switched over and won the Bhopal seat. In the Vajpayee Administration, she held various state-level portfolios of Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs & Sports, and finally Coal & Mines.
In the 2003 Assembly polls, she led the BJP to a three fourths majority in Madhya Pradesh. She defeated her Congress opponent from the Malehra seat with a 25% margin.
Uma Bharati resigned as the CM in August 2004, on the issue of the right to hoist the National Flag, when a decade old case against her was resurrected.
