Gyan Singh Sohanpal (11 January 1925 – 8 August 2017), was an Indian politician affiliated with the Indian National Congress and a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.[1] He is affectionately known as Chacha Ji ("Uncle" in English) in his constituency of Kharagpur Sadar.
Gyan Singh Sohanpal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pro tem Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office May 18, 2011 – May 30, 2011 | |
| Governor | M. K. Narayanan |
| Preceded by | Hashim Abdul Halim |
| Succeeded by | Biman Banerjee |
| Constituency | Kharagpur Sadar |
| Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1969–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Narayan Choubey |
| Constituency | Kharagpur Sadar |
| In office 1982–2016 | |
| Preceded by | Sudhir Das Sharma |
| Succeeded by | Dilip Ghosh |
| Constituency | Kharagpur Sadar |
| Minister of Small Industries and Jails Government of West Bengal | |
| In office February 25, 1969 – July 30, 1970 | |
| Governor | Shanti Swaroop Dhavan |
| Chief Minister | Ajoy Mukherjee |
| Minister for Transport, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs Government of West Bengal | |
| In office March 19, 1972 – June 21, 1977 | |
| Governor | Anthony Lancelot Dias |
| Chief Minister | Siddhartha Shankar Ray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gyan Singh Sohanpal 11 January 1925 |
| Died | 8 August 2017 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Alma mater | Midnapore Collegiate School |
He won his seat Kharagpur Sadar in 1969, 1971, 1972, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011.[2]
Since 1969, he only lost elections in 1977 and 2016 when he was 91 years old.
He was MLA for 10 terms.[3]
He contested his first election in 1962 and became a minister in 1969 in Ajoy Mukherjee’s cabinet, taking charge of Small Industries and Jails. In Siddhartha Shankar Ray’s cabinet, he was the Minister for Transport, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs. He has represented Khragpur since 1982, and in the 2011 election, he defeated Anil Kumar Das of the CPI(M) by over 32,000 votes. Following that election, he was the most senior Member of the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal and served briefly as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[4] He was sworn in as the Speaker by Governor M. K. Narayanan on May 18, 2011.
References
edit- ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation". www.tribuneindia.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "From one wave of change to another, Chacha has seen it all - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Will it be a perfect 10 for Kharagpur's own Chacha". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013.
- ^ "Buddhadev resigns, to continue till swearing-in on May 18". www.outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.