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Ajit Singh Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

Quick Info

Date of birth12 February 1939

Age82 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceBhadola Village, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

ProfessionPolitician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseRadhika Singh

FamilySon - Jayant Chaudhary; two daughters

Ajit Singh Biography

Ajit Singh (12 February 1939 – 6 May 2021) was an Indian politician, founder of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and a long-serving parliamentarian from Western Uttar

Early life and background

Ajit Singh was born on 12 February 1939 in Bhadola Village, Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. He was the son of Chaudhary Charan Singh and Gayatri Devi. Raised in a family with a strong political legacy, he initially pursued a technical education. He completed B.Sc. studies at Lucknow University, went on to earn a B.Tech in computer science from IIT Kharagpur, and later obtained a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in the United States.

Before entering politics he worked as a computer scientist in the United States for about 15 years and was reported to have been among the early Indians to work at IBM in the 1960s. He returned to India in the 1980s following his father’s illness and subsequently became active in public life.

Career

Ajit Singh’s parliamentary career began with his election to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1986. He moved to the Lok Sabha in 1989 as the member from the Baghpat constituency, a seat he would represent multiple times over the course of his career. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989 and 1991 and went on to win elections again in 1999, 2004 and 2009, while also experiencing defeats in other contests.

His ministerial roles spanned governments of different political alignments. Between December 1989 and November 1990 he served as Minister of Industry in V. P. Singh’s cabinet. In 1991 he held the portfolio of Minister of Food in P. V. Narasimha Rao’s government. From 2001 to 2003 he served as Minister of Agriculture in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration. Later, from 2011 to 2014, he was Union Minister of Civil Aviation in the UPA government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In 1996 Ajit Singh founded the Rashtriya Lok Dal, a regional party focused on the interests of farmers and rural communities in Western Uttar Pradesh. Throughout the 1990s he was closely associated with agrarian causes and worked alongside farmer leaders; he is recorded as having actively supported farmers’ rights during that period.

Public profile

Ajit Singh was 5 feet 3 inches tall, with black hair and black eyes. He was known publicly by his given name and the honorific Chaudhary. He married Radhika Singh on 17 June 1967 and the couple had children, including a son, Jayant Chaudhary, who followed him into politics. He had five sisters.

Education and professional experience abroad informed much of his early private career, while his later decades were defined by electoral contests and ministerial responsibilities. He contested elections from Baghpat and later from other constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, winning multiple terms and also facing defeats against opponents from the BJP in some contests.

Personal life

Ajit Singh maintained a public persona rooted in his family’s political heritage. He listed travelling among his interests. His father, Chaudhary Charan Singh, is a prominent figure in the family’s public narrative; in 2024 Ajit Singh’s son, Jayant Chaudhary, accepted the Bharat Ratna awarded posthumously to Chaudhary Charan Singh on behalf of the family.

Illness and death

On 20 April 2021 Ajit Singh tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram. He died on 6 May 2021 in Gurugram, Haryana, at the age of 82. His passing was publicly announced by his son, and condolences were offered by national leaders and other public figures.

Latest updates

Following his death, his family continued to be involved in public life. In March 2024 Jayant Chaudhary accepted the Bharat Ratna award given to Chaudhary Charan Singh from the President of India on the family’s behalf.

Career highlights

Ajit Singh’s career included service as a Rajya Sabha member, multiple terms as a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat and other constituencies, the founding of Rashtriya Lok Dal in 1996, and ministerial portfolios in Industry, Food, Agriculture, and Civil Aviation across several central governments.

Legacy

Ajit Singh is remembered for his combination of technical training and long political service, his advocacy on behalf of farmers in Western Uttar Pradesh, and his role in sustaining his family’s political presence in national and regional politics.
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Recent Work

Union Minister of Civil Aviation

Served as Union Minister of Civil Aviation in the UPA government.

2011-2014
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Career Highlights

  1. Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1986
  2. Elected to the Lok Sabha from Baghpat in 1989, 1991, 1999, 2004 and 2009
  3. Founded the Rashtriya Lok Dal in 1996
  4. Served as Minister of Industry (1989–1990), Minister of Food (1991), Minister of Agriculture (2001–2003), and Minister of Civil Aviation (2011–2014)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ajit Singh born?

12 February 1939

What is Ajit Singh known for?

Politician

What is Ajit Singh’s marital status?

Married

Who is Ajit Singh married to?

Radhika Singh