15 Facts About Urmila Singh

Urmila Singh was an Indian politician who served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from 25 January 2010 to 28 January 2015.

Urmila Singh was born in Phingeshwar village in Raipur district, now located in Chhattisgarh state, into a landowning family of central India, which produced freedom fighters and social reformers.

Urmila's great-grandfather, Raja Natwar Singh of Haridaypur, was a freedom fighter, who was executed by the British rulers.

Urmila Singh was married at a young age to Virendra Bahadur Singh, Raja of Seraipally princely state in Chhattisgarh.

The couple became the parents of one daughter and two sons and Urmila Singh devoted herself to the nurture of her family.

Virendra Bahadur Singh became a prominent Congress party political and a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, elected from the areas that his family had previously ruled for several centuries.

Urmila Singh's mother, Rani Shyam Kumari Devi, was a Member of Parliament.

Urmila Singh was duly elected for several consecutive terms from the family borough to the Madhya Pradesh assembly and remained a member from 1985 to 2003.

Urmila Singh served as a Minister of State for Dairy Development and as Cabinet Minister for Social Welfare and Tribal Welfare.

Urmila Singh served as President of the MP Congress between 1996 and 1998.

Urmila Singh was therefore automatically a member of the first ever legislative assembly of Chhattisgarh between 2000 and 2003.

The Congress party suffered a rout in both states in the 2003 assembly elections and Urmila Singh was one of the casualties.

Urmila Singh took office on 25 January 2010 and completed her term on 24 January 2015, becoming the first woman governor in Himachal to do so.

Urmila Singh was admitted to a private hospital where her condition remained unstable.

Urmila Singh is survived by her two sons and a daughter.