Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, 87, passed away in Shimla in the early hours of Thursday after a cardiac arrest. He was hospitalised at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla.
Virbhadra Singh was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of IGMC and was put on ventilator support on Monday night after he suffered a heart attack. He was undergoing treatment in the cardiology department since April 23.
Singh contracted Covid twice, once on April 12 and then in June but managed to recover before succumbing to Covid-related complications.
The nine-time MLA and five-time MP, Virbhadra Singh served as Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister for six times from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998, from 2003 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2017. He also remained the leader of Opposition from March 1998 to March 2003.
The veteran leader entered the Lok Sabha in 1962 and repeated that success in the 1967 and 1971 elections. Singh also served as union deputy minister, Tourism and Civil Aviation, minister of state for industries, union minister of steel and Union Minister of micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME).
Born into the royal family of Sarahan in Shimla district on June 23, 1934, Singh was anointed the king at the age of 13 in 1947. He studied at Bishop Cotton School at Shimla before graduating with honours from St Stephen’s College in Delhi.
An honorary captain of the Indian Army, Singh remained till the end one of the most widely respected leaders of the hill state. He is survived by wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and four daughters.
