Digvijay Singh (bihar Politician)

Digvijay Singh (bihar Politician) Biography

Digvijay Singh was a well-known politician and parliamentarian from Bihar. He was an independent Member while representing Banka in the Lok Sabha for the last time. A 5-time Member of the Parliament of India, he represented lower house three times in 1998, 1999 and 2009, and upper house in 1990 and 2004. He served as Union Minister under Chandrasekhar’s and Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government in the 1990s. He also served as the President of National Rifle Association of India since 1999. Singh was affectionately called "Dada" by the people, and at home he was called 'Kanhaiya Ji'. His wife Putul Kumari is a politician and parliamentarian, while his daughter Shreyasi Singh is a shooter.

Digvijay Singh was born in Gidhaur, Bihar on 14 November 1955. Kumar Surendra Singh and Sona Devi were his parents, and he was related to royal estate of Gidhaur. He studied from Patna University and JNU, followed by Tokyo University. Though he got a teaching opportunity in Tokyo, he turned down the offer to pursue a career in politics in India. He has been involved in politics since his college days and represented Democratic Socialism at JNU.

He got elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1990. He was one of the founding members of Samata Party in the mid-1990s, and served as its spokesperson. In 1998 he successfully contested Lok Sabha for the first time, and a parliamentarian of 5 times, he was a prominent figure at national level politics. As a union minister, he handled portfolios - Ministry of External Affairs (1990-1991), Ministry of Railways (1999-2001), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (2001), Ministry of Railways (2001-2002) and Ministry of External Affairs (2002-2004). He passed away on 24 June 2010 in London after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Published: November 29, 2018

Updated: November 29, 2018