Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji, 15th Thakore Saheb of Rajkot

Who is Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji, 15th Thakore Saheb of Rajkot?

Manoharsinhji, previously titled Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji, 15th Thakore Saheb of Rajkot, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. The oldest son of Pradyumansinhji Lakhajirajsinhji, 14th Thakore Saheb of Rajkot, Manoharsinhji was born at the Ranjit Villas Palace in Rajkot, and educated at Rajkumar College. He married Mankumari Devi Sahiba, the second daughter of Tej Singh Prabhakar, Maharaja of Alwar, in 1949, and had one son and three daughters. Like his father and grandfather, Manoharsinhji was a keen cricketer, and made his first-class debut for Saurashtra against Gujarat in the 1955–56 Ranji Trophy, scoring 59 runs in his first innings. Manoharsinhji served as captain of the team from the 1957–58 season onwards, and was a regular in the team until his retirement after the 1963–64 season. Usually playing as a top order batsman, his highest first-class score was an innings of 144 runs against Gujarat in December 1957. Overall, Manoharsinhji played 14 first-class matches, scoring 614 runs at an average of 29.23.

Standing for the Indian National Congress in the constituency of Rajkot, Manoharsinhji was elected to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly in 1967, and served until 1971. Upon the death of his father in November 1973, he acceded to the title of Thakore Saheb. The title had afforded no extra powers or privileges since Indian independence in 1947, and serves merely as a courtesy, although property attached to the title remains with the Thakore Saheb. Manoharsinhji served two further terms as a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly for the Rajkot constituency–from 1980 to 1985 and 1990 to 1995—and occupied a number of positions in cabinet, including Minister for Finance, Minister for Youth Services, and Minister for Health. From 1998, he has served as a vice-president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, the state division of the Indian National Congress. Politically, Manoharsinhji is generally known under the name "Manoharsinh Jadeja", deriving from his family's dynastic name.