Five time Himachal Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh is named as cabinet minster in the second list released by newly formed Union ministry of Manmohan Singh.
Educated at famous Bishop Cotton School Shimla, 75 years old Singh, is the lone winner of Congress party from Himachal. Former ruler of Bushehar state, Singh won the Mandi seat from Kullu’s former royal Raja Maheshwar Singh. Mandi seat was last held by Virbhadra’s wife Pratibha Singh who decided against contesting this time.
Singh became chief minister for the first time in 1983 and continued till 1990. He became chief minister again in 1993 and continued in office till 1998. He occupied the chief minister’s chair again on March 6, 2003 and was in office till Congress was voted out in December 2007 by BJP.
Its first time that Himachal, a state of just four parliament seats is given two Cabinet ministries. Anand Sharma, a Rajya Sabha member was chosen as Cabinet Minister in the first released list.
(File photo.)
The state of Meghalaya has two MPs and both of them have been given ministerial births in the central govt.
Himachal has only one MP from the Congress and the state have two Cabinet Ministers. Isn’t that a better statistic. 🙂
Virbhadra Singh was the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 6, 2003 to December 30, 2007. He also served in that position from 1983 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. Virbhadra was elected to Lok Sabha in 1962, 1967, 1972 and in 1980. He was the member of Indian Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1976. He was the Union Minister of State for Tourism & Civil Aviation from December 1976 to March 1977 and Minister of State for Industries from 1982 to April 1983. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly from March 1998 to March 2003.