Virbhadra Singh

Virbhadra Singh (23 June 1934 – 8 July 2021) was an Indian politician. He was the longest-serving and 4th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister from 2012 to 2017 before being replaced by BJP's Jai Ram Thakur in December 2017.^[3] He also was Chief Minister from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2007. He was an elected member of the Lok Sabha in 1962, 1967, 1971, 1980 and in 2009. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.^[4]

Virbhadra Singh
4th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
In office 25 December 2012 – 27 December 2017
Preceded by	Prem Kumar Dhumal
Succeeded by	Jai Ram Thakur
Constituency	Shimla Rural
In office 6 March 2003 – 30 December 2007
Preceded by	Prem Kumar Dhumal
Succeeded by	Prem Kumar Dhumal
Constituency	Rohru
In office 3 December 1993 – 24 March 1998
Preceded by	Shanta Kumar
Succeeded by	Prem Kumar Dhumal
Constituency	Rohru
In office 8 April 1983 – 5 March 1990
Preceded by	Thakur Ram Lal
Succeeded by	Shanta Kumar
Constituency	Rohru
MLA, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
In office 2017 – 8 July 2021
Preceded by	Govind Ram Sharma
Succeeded by	Vacant
Constituency	Arki
Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
In office 19 January 2011 – 26 June 2012
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Dinsha Patel
Succeeded by	Vilasrao Deshmukh
Minister of Steel
In office 28 May 2009 – 18 January 2011
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Ram Vilas Paswan
Succeeded by	Beni Prasad Verma
Minister of State for Industries
In office September 1982 – April 1983
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Minister of State for Tourism, Civil Aviation
In office December 1976 – March 1977
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Personal details
Born	(1934-06-23)23 June 1934 Sarahan, Punjab, British India (now in Himachal Pradesh, India)
Died	8 July 2021(2021-07-08) (aged 87)[1][2] Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Ratna Kumari ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 1983)​ Pratibha Singh ​ (m. 1985)​
Children	4
Residence	Padam Palace, Rampur Bushahr, Himachal Pradesh, India Holly Lodge, Shimla
Alma mater	Colonel Brown Cambridge School St. Edward's School, Shimla Bishop Cotton School (Shimla) St. Stephen's College, Delhi Delhi University
Signature

Early life

Virbhadra Singh was born at Sarahan, Shimla district on 23 June 1934.^[5] He was born in a royal family of the princely state of Bushahr.

Singh studied at Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun, St. Edward's School, Shimla and Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. He later got a BA Honours degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

He married Ratna Kumari in May 1954.^[6] The couple's daughter Abhilasha Kumari is a former judge.

In 1986, he was married for the second time, to Pratibha Singh.^[5][7] His second wife was elected to Lok Sabha in 2004.

Death

Sign was hospitalized with COVID-19 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in June 2021.^[8] He died from the infection on 8 July 2021, aged 87.^[9]