Gyan Singh Sohanpal Explained

Gyan Singh Sohanpal
Office:Pro tem Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Term Start:May 18, 2011
Term End:May 30, 2011
Office1:Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Term Start1:1969
Term End1:1977
Constituency1:Kharagpur Sadar
Predecessor1:Narayan Choubey
Term Start2:1982
Term End2:2016
Predecessor2:Sudhir Das Sharma
Successor2:Dilip Ghosh
Constituency2:Kharagpur Sadar
Office6:Minister of Small Industries and Jails
Government of West Bengal
Term Start6:February 25, 1969
Term End6:July 30, 1970
Governor6:Shanti Swaroop Dhavan
1Namedata6:Ajoy Mukherjee
1Blankname6:Chief Minister
Office7:Minister for Transport, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs
Government of West Bengal
Term Start7:March 19, 1972
Term End7:June 21, 1977
Governor7:Anthony Lancelot Dias
1Namedata7:Siddhartha Shankar Ray
1Blankname7:Chief Minister
Governor:M. K. Narayanan
Predecessor:Hashim Abdul Halim
Successor:Biman Banerjee
Constituency:Kharagpur Sadar
Birth Date:11 January 1925
Birthname:Gyan Singh Sohanpal
Nationality:Indian
Party:Indian National Congress
Alma Mater:Midnapore Collegiate School

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.

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.

Notes and References

  1. News: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation . www.tribuneindia.com . 28 June 2020 . 1 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801031146/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010501/nation.htm#2 . live .
  2. News: From one wave of change to another, Chacha has seen it all - Indian Express . archive.indianexpress.com.
  3. News: Will it be a perfect 10 for Kharagpur's own Chacha . https://archive.today/20130125080601/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Will-it-be-a-perfect-10-for-Kharagpur-s-own-Chacha/Article1-694157.aspx . dead . 25 January 2013 . Hindustan Times . en.
  4. News: Buddhadev resigns, to continue till swearing-in on May 18 . www.outlookindia.com . en . 28 June 2020 . 28 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200628040420/https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/amp/buddhadev-resigns-to-continue-till-swearing-in-on-may-18/384959 . live .