Thakur Ram Lal (7 July 1929 – 6 July 2002) was an Indian politician and a leader of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

. He was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from

Jubbal Kotkhai Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly constituency is one of the 68 constituencies in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, covering the area of Jubbal, Kotkhai and Nawar. Jubbal Kotkhai constituency is a part of Shimla Lok Sabha constituency. Members ...

constituency in 1957. Later, he was re-elected to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from the same constituency in 1962, 1967, 1977, 1980, and 1982. He became the second

Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister ...

on 28 January 1977 and remained in office till 30 April 1977. He was the leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from 29 June 1977 to 13 February 1980. He again became the Chief Minister of the state on 14 February 1980 and remained in office till 7 April 1983. Later, he served as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

from 15 August 1983 to 29 August 1984. His name got etched in infamy, as he appointed the Finance minister of Andhrapradesh Mr. N Baskar Rao as Chief Minister, when the incumbent CM sri.

N.T.Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. He starred ...

was getting surgery in the USA. This change was supposedly done at the behest of then Congress Leadership, even when Baskar Rao had no more than 20% of MLAs supporting him. NTR returned to Andhra's capital one week later, but was adamantly denied justice by Ram Lal. Then NTR launched massive campaigning against Ram Lal and Congress. 30 days later, President Zail Singh dismissed Ram Lal, and 3 days later NT Rama Rao again became Chief Minister of Andhra. He was also Minister of

Science and technology Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

. He died in

Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...

following a massive cardiac arrest on 6 July 2002. His grandson, Rohit Thakur is an MLA from Jubbal-Kotkhai. In addition, he is also Chief Whip in the state government.

Political career

Ram Lal had the distinction of having been elected to

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...

from Jubbal Kotkhai constituency nine times since 1957 by big margins. Even during the period of worst ever anti-congress wave in year 1977, he was elected to state assembly, securing 60.2 percent of total votes polled. In year 1983 he resigned as Chief Minister and was succeeded by Virbhadra Singh, former Union Minister of State. He served as Chief Minister for 1048 days.

Background

Thakur Ram Lal was survived by four daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter. Ram Lal was considered a symbol of hopes and aspirations for the people of his constituency and the state which he served with devotion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lal, Thakur Ram Governors of Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh People from Shimla Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1967–1972 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1972–1977 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1977–1982 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1982–1985 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1990–1992 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1993–1998 Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1998–2003 1929 births 2002 deaths Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians Janata Dal politicians