Chaudhary Ajit Singh Biography: RLD Chief and son of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh succumbed to COVID-19

Son of former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh and founder and Chief of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Chaudhary Ajit Singh succumbed to COVID-19 at the age of 82 years on 6 May 2021 at a hospital in Delhi. He was a prominent leader in Western Uttar Pradesh. Many dignitaries including Prime Minister Modi, tweeted condolence messages. 

पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री चौधरी अजित सिंह जी के निधन से अत्यंत दुख हुआ है। वे हमेशा किसानों के हित में समर्पित रहे। उन्होंने केंद्र में कई विभागों की जिम्मेदारियों का कुशलतापूर्वक निर्वहन किया। शोक की इस घड़ी में मेरी संवेदनाएं उनके परिजनों और प्रशंसकों के साथ हैं। ओम शांति!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 6, 2021

According to his son Jayant Chaudhary, he was diagnosed as Covid positive on 20 April 2021. He breathed his last on 6 May 2021 at a hospital in Delhi. 

चौधरी साहब नहीं रहे!
🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/7cnLkf0c6K

— Jayant Chaudhary (@jayantrld) May 6, 2021

Chaudhary Ajit Singh: Birth, Education, and Personal Life

Chaudhary Ajit Singh was born on 12 February 1939 in Meerut, United Provinces, British India to Gayatri Devi and Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was B.Tech graduate in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur and an M.S. from  Illinois Institute of Technology. Chaudhary Ajit Singh was a computer scientist by profession and was among the first Indians who worked with IBM in the 1960s. 

He was married to Radhika Singh in 1967. The couple gave birth to a son and two daughters. His son Jayant Chaudhary is active in politics and was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura Constituency. 

Chaudhary Ajit Singh: Political Career

His political career started in 1986 when he was first elected to Rajya Sabha. In 1987, he served as the President of Lok Dal (A) and in 1988 as the President of the Janata Party. In 1989, when the parties were merged to take on the Indian National Congress under the leadership of V.P. Singh, he served as the General Secretary of Janata Dal. He was a significant political figure in government formations and alliances throughout his political career. 

In 1989, he was elected to Lok Sabha from the Baghpat constituency. From December 1989 to November 1990, he served as the Minister of Industry in the V.P. Singh led government. 

In the 1991 General Election, he was re-elected to Lok Sabha and served as a Minister of Food in P.V. Narasimha Rao cabinet. In 1996, he was re-elected but resigned from the Congress party and Lok Sabha.

He founded Rashtriya Lok Dal and was re-elected in 1997 by-election. He lost the election in 1998 but was re-elected in 1999, 2004, and 2009. 

During the Vajpayee Government, he served as the Minister of Agriculture from 2001-2003. In 2011, Rashtriya Lok Dal joined the ruling United Progressive Alliance and Chaudhary Ajit Singh served as the Minister of Civil Aviation from December 2011 to May 2014. 

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