Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh passed away after prolonged illness on July 9, 2021 in Shimla. He was 87 years old.
The six-time chief minister and nine-time member of the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh dominated the political landscape of the state for almost 50 years. He was the longest-serving chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.
Mr. Singh was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962 and in all, he was a five-time MP. He served 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. He was also the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 2012.