Ram Sundar Das facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ram Sundar Das
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| 15th Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 21 April 1979 – 17 February 1980 |
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| Preceded by | Karpuri Thakur |
| Succeeded by | Jagannath Mishra |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2009–2014 |
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| Preceded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Succeeded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| In office 1991–1996 |
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| Preceded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Succeeded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Constituency | Hajipur, Bihar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 January 1921 Gangajal, Saran district, Bihar, British India |
| Died | 6 March 2015 (aged 94) Patna, India |
| Resting place | राम सुंदर दास |
| Political party | Janata Dal (United) |
| Other political affiliations |
Janata Dal, Janata Party |
| Spouses | Savita Devi |
| Children | 2 Sons and 1 daughter |
| Parent |
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| Occupation | Politician |
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As of 6 March, 2015
Source: [1] |
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Ram Sundar Das (born January 9, 1921 – died March 6, 2015) was an important Indian politician. He served as the Chief Minister of Bihar state. He was also elected twice as a Member of Parliament from the Hajipur area.
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Early Life of Ram Sundar Das
Ram Sundar Das was born on January 9, 1921. His birthplace was Gangajal, a village near Sonpur in the Saran District of Bihar. He finished his schooling in Sonpur. Later, he went to Vidyasagar College in Calcutta. However, he left college early to join India's fight for freedom. In 1956, he married Savita Devi. They had three children together: two sons and one daughter.
Political Journey of Ram Sundar Das
Ram Sundar Das was very active in the Quit India Movement of 1942. This movement aimed to end British rule in India. He worked for the Congress Socialist Party in his hometown of Sonpur. This party later joined with others to form the Praja Socialist Party (PSP). Das became a member of the PSP's Bihar Provincial Executive Council.
In 1957, he first ran for the Lok Sabha (India's Parliament) from Hajipur. He did not win that election. However, he would later win this seat two times. From 1968 to 1977, he served as a member of Bihar's legislative council.
Becoming Chief Minister of Bihar
In 1977, Ram Sundar Das was elected as an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) for Sonpur. This happened during the 1977 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. The Janata Party won this election. The Janata Party was a new group formed by different political parties coming together.
Inside the Janata Party, there was a disagreement about who should be the Chief Minister. The current Chief Minister, Karpoori Thakur, wanted to set aside government jobs for certain groups. Some members of the party wanted to change this policy. To gain support from different groups, Ram Sundar Das was chosen as a candidate for Chief Minister. He was seen as a more moderate leader.
On April 21, 1979, Ram Sundar Das became the Chief Minister of Bihar. He replaced Karpoori Thakur. During his time, the rules for reserving government jobs were changed. However, the Janata Party soon faced many internal problems. It split into several smaller groups. This led to the Indian National Congress party returning to power in 1980.
Later Political Life
In the late 1980s, some parts of the Janata Party came together again. They formed the Janata Dal party. This party formed the government at the national level after the 1989 Indian general election.
In 1990, the Janata Dal won the most seats in the 1990 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. Ram Sundar Das was one of the main candidates to become Chief Minister again. Other candidates included Raghunath Jha and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Lalu Prasad Yadav had strong support for a policy that would reserve government jobs for backward castes. Ram Sundar Das was less enthusiastic about this specific policy. In the end, Lalu Yadav won the vote by a small margin.
Later in his career, around 1995, Ram Sundar Das joined the Samajwadi Janata Party. He stayed with them until 2008. Then, he joined the Janata Dal (United) party. Ram Sundar Das passed away on March 6, 2015, at the age of 94.
Key Elections and Roles
- 1968-1977: Member of Bihar Legislative Council.
- 1977: Elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly from Sonpur.
* Served as Chief Minister of Bihar in 1979.
- 1990: Elected to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from Patepur.
- 1991: Elected to Lok Sabha from Hajipur as a Janata Dal candidate.
- 2009: Elected to Lok Sabha from Hajipur as a Janata Dal (United) candidate. He defeated Ram Vilas Paswan in this election.
