Shimla: Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh, in active politics for over 50 years, Tuesday took oath as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister for a sixth time. He has now held this office for 16 years.
Born on June 23, 1934, Singh succeeded to the position of king of the state at the age of 13 in 1947. After joining Congress in 1961, Singh entered Lok Sabha for the first time in 1962 from Mahasu constituency when Himachal Pradesh was part of Punjab and was the youngest member of this 3rd Lok Sabha.
He again won in 1967 and won from Mandi seat in 1971, where he repeated in 1980 and then again in 2009. There is no other member in the present Lok Sabha to have entered the lower House before him.
Between 1976 and 1977, Singh was Deputy Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation at the Centre and Minister of State for Industries between 1980 and 1983.
Since May, 2009 until January, 2011, he was the Union Steel Minister and was shifted to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry until his resignation in June this year.
He has also been elected seven times to Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The first occasion was in a by-election in October 1983, when he was returned for the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency. He won that seat again in the 1985 elections.
Thereafter, he was elected from the Rohru constituency in 1990, 1993, 1998 and 2003.
He had also been president of the State Congress Committee in 1977, 1979 and 1980. In July 2012, he quit from all key party posts at a crucial time just ahead of the current polls.
Popularly known as 'Raja Saab', Virbhadra Singh was born in the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr on June 23, 1934.
A timeline of his political career:1962: Elected to Lok Sabha from Mahasu
1967: Re-elected toe Lok Sabha from Mahasu
1971: Elected to Lok Sabha from Mandi
1976: Inducted as union deputy minister for tourism and civil aviation
1977: Lost Lok Sabha election from Mandi
1980: Elected to Lok Sabha from Mandi
1982: Made union minister of state for industries
1983: Appointed chief minister by replacing Ram Lal
1985: Elected to state assembly from Rohru; is chief minister a second time
1990: Elected to state assembly from Rohru
1993: Elected to state assembly from Rohru, appointed chief minister a third time
1998: Elected to state assembly from Rohru, becomes chief minister for the fourth time but fails to prove his majority
2003: Elected to state assembly from Rohru, appointed chief minister for the fifth time
2007: Elected to state assembly from Rohru
2009: Elected to Lok Sabha from Mandi, appointed union steel minister
2011: Appointed union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises
2012: Resigned as minister, elected to state assembly from newly carved Shimla (Rural) constituency
