National News: India's former Agriculture Minister and former MP, Anand Singh, died late on Sunday night in Lucknow. The 86-year-old was rushed to the hospital when his health worsened, where he was declared dead by the doctors. Manakpur Kot is currently observing silence for the passing away of Anand Singh. His son, Kirti Vardhan Singh, is the current Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Gonda and also the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India.
The UP Tiger
Raja Anand Singh was popularly known as the UP tiger. The name was given to him by his close friends and supporters. The deceased had a strong hold over the politics of Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh. Anand Singh was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 1964, 1967, and 1969. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gonda in 1971 and again in 1980, 1984, and 1989. A common saying among the people of Manakpur Kot was, “Whoever had the blessings of Mankapur Kot, he would become MP, MLA, District Panchayat President, or Block Pramukh.”
Anand's political journey
Raja Anand Singh, born on January 4, 1939, first entered Parliament in 1971 after winning the election for the Gonda Lok Sabha seat as a Congress candidate. Subsequently, he was elected as an MP again in 1980, 1984, and 1989. Overall, he served as a Lok Sabha MP from Gonda on four occasions. In 1991, after the Ram wave, he was defeated by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. In 1996, he contested representing the Samajwadi Party, but this time his wife, Ketki Devi Singh, won as a candidate for the BJP against him. Following this, he distanced himself from parliamentary elections.
In 2012, he secured the Gaura assembly seat as a candidate for the Samajwadi Party and was named agriculture minister in Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's administration. Following this, he stepped back from active politics.
A people's politician
The UP tiger was known and admired for his down-to-earth nature with his supporters. He had a friendly personality. His demise has caused a state of mourning not just in the political world but among the people as well. His body was brought to Manakpur earlier today, and the people are arriving in big numbers for his last rites.
