Six-time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh passed away on Thursday due to prolonged illness. He was 87.
Virbhadra Singh breathed his last at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) at 3.40 am, senior medical superintendent, Dr. Janak Raj said.
Virbhadra Singh suffered from a heart attack on Monday and was critical since then. He was put on ventilator support on Wednesday after he had breathing problems, he added.
The nine-time MLA and five-time MP is survived by wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh. While his wife is a former MP, his son is MLA from Shimla rural.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda condoled the demise of Singh.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to Singh.
The veteran leader had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 11 for the second time in two months. He had earlier tested positive for the disease on April 12.
He had returned to his home in Holly Lodge on April 30 from the Chandigarh hospital after getting cured of the first infection.
However, he was admitted to IGMC within hours after reaching home, as he complained of cardiac and breathing problems. He was in the hospital ever since then.
Virbhadra Singh served as chief minister of the state for six times from April 8, 1983, to March 5, 1990, December 3, 1993, to March 23, 1998, and from March 6, 2003, to December 29, 2007, and for the sixth time from December 25, 2012, to December 26, 2017.
Virbhadra Singh was the leader of the Opposition from March 1998 to March 2003.
The veteran Congress leader 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).
He was re-elected to the 13th Vidhan Sabha in December 2017 from the Arki Assembly Constituency in Solan district.
Earlier, he was elected to the state legislative assembly in October 1983 (by-election); re-elected in 1985 from Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly constituency, in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003 & 2007 from Rohru assembly constituency and in 2012 from Shimla rural assembly constituency.
He was also elected to third Lok Sabha in 1962; re-elected to the fourth Lok Sabha in 1967 from Mahasu Constituency, fifth Lok Sabha in 1971, seventh Lok Sabha in 1980, and 15th Lok Sabha (5th term) in May 2009 from Mandi Lok Sabha Constituency.
Singh served as Himachal Pradesh Congress president in 1977, 1979, 1980, and from 26th August 2012 to December 2012.
