Question: Virbhadra Singh who passed away recently was former chief minister of which Indian state?
(a) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Uttarakhand
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Jharkhand
Answer: (a)
Related facts:
- On 8 July 2021, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh passed away. He was 87 years old.
- He was a member of the Indian National Congress.
Political Career:
- Virbhadra Singh is longest serving and six –time Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.His latest chief minister tenure span between 2012 to 2017.
- Also, he was a nine-time MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly).He was elected to State Legislative Assembly for the first time in October 1983. He was at present MLA from the Arki Assembly constituency in Solan district.
- In central level politics, he was elected five-time Member of Parliament. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962.
- Discharging services in Central Government, he held various portfolios as Minister of State for Industries in 1982-1983; Union Minister of Steel from 2009-2011; and Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises from 2011-2012.
Princely Period:
- He was popularly known by the honorific Raja Sahib. He was born in the royal family of the princely state of Bushahr.
- He was the titular Raja of Bushahr from 1947 until 1971, when, by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India, the privy purses of the princes were abolished and official recognition of their titles came to an end.
BY-Amar Mani Upadhyay