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, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

from

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

Political career

Himachal Pradesh

He was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency in nine times from 1957 to 1982. He briefly served as the

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

from 28 January 1977 to 30 April 1977. In the 1977 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he withstood the anti-Congress wave in elections conducted after The Emergency to win 60.2 percent of the votes in Jubbal-Kotkhai but saw the Congress reduced to 9 seats from the previous 53. He served as the leader of opposition in the legislative assembly from 29 June 1977 to 13 February 1980.

Governor of Andhra Pradesh

Ram Lal was appointed the

Governor of Andhra Pradesh The governor of Andhra Pradesh is the head of state of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Governors in India have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the president of India at the central level. They exist in the ...

on 15 August 1983. While Chief Minister

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, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

of the

Telugu Desam Party The Telugu Desam Party (TDP; ) is an Indian regional political party primarily active in the Federated state, states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by Telugu cinema, Telugu matinée idol N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982 a ...

was in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for surgery, he appointed finance minister N. Bhaskara Rao as the chief minister ostensibly at the behest of the leadership of the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

party despite Bhaskara Rao having the support of no more than 20% of the legislators. On his return, NTR launched a popular campaign against Ram Lal and the Congress Party leading to President

Zail Singh Giani Zail Singh (, born Jarnail Singh; 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the president of India from 1982 to 1987 and chief minister of Punjab. He was the first Sikh to become president. B ...

to dismiss Ram Lal on 29 August 1984 and NTR being re-appointed the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Death

Thakur Ram Lal died on 6 July 2002 in

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

following a massive cardiac arrest. He was survived by four daughters, a son and grandson and a granddaughter, two great granddaughters and one great grandson. His grandson, Rohit Thakur is an MLA from Jubbal-Kotkhai.

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 from Himachal Pradesh Janata Dal politicians People from Punjab Province (British India)