Ex-Himachal Pradesh minister Raja Vijayendra Singh passes away at 80

Shimla, Jul 1 (PTI) Former Himachal Pradesh minister and scion of the erstwhile Nalagarh state Raja Vijayendra Singh passed away in Delhi early on Wednesday morning. He was 80. A five-time MLA, Singh represented the Nalagarh assembly constituency continuously from 1977 to 1998. He served as the chief parliamentary secretary from 1982-83 and as a minister of state from 1984-85 and 1988-89 in the Congress government. He was elected for the first time on the Janata Party ticket in 1977 but joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal after a split in the Janata Party in 1979, and later joined the Congress. He was re-elected from Nalagarh as the Congress candidate in 1982, 1985, 1990 and 1993. Born on June 26, 1946, in Dehradun, Vijayendra Singh pursued his education at Doon School and Hindu College, Delhi. He was conferred the title of Raja of the erstwhile Nalagarh state on May 5, 1971. Expressing his grief over Singh's passing, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said the former minister immensely contributed towards the development of Himachal Pradesh, especially Nalagarh, and he would be remembered for his contributions to the welfare of the society. PTI BPL RUK RUK