Ravindra Singh Kushwaha

Former legislator from Bihar, India
Ravindra Singh Kushwaha
Bihar Legislative Assembly
In office
1995–2000
ConstituencyArwal Assembly constituency
In office
2015–2020
ConstituencyArwal Assembly constituency
Personal details
Political partyRashtriya Janata Dal
OccupationPolitics
Website[1]

Ravindra Singh also known as Ravindra Singh Kushwaha[1] is an Indian politician based in Bihar, who was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly twice from Arwal Assembly constituency.[2] Singh was a member of Janata Dal and later became a member of Rashtriya Janata Dal. He is considered as one of the close accomplice of former Bihar Chief Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav. Singh hails from communist background and before joining politics, he was a member of armed naxalite organisations active in the Bihar's red corridor.[3]

Life

Singh was born to Hardayal Singh and spent later part of his life in Patna at his residence near Jagdeo Path. He is a member of Kushwaha (Koeri) caste of Bihar.[4] Before moving to Patna, he was an active Maoist. Singh was born in a prosperous farmer family, which owned 4.32 acre land in Aurangabad district of Bihar, besides residential land in Aurangabad. He took part in insurgencies conducted by several naxal organisations active in the state of Bihar, against the landlords. In the course of violence between the landlords and the naxal foot soldiers, he had to remain underground for 13 to 14 years to escape imprisonment. During this period, his house was raided 135 times and his ancestral property was attached by the police. He was discovered by Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1990s and all the cases pending against him were dropped in a supervision report, after Yadav assumed the premiership of the state. In 1994, District police gave him clean chit in all the cases lodged against him. In his election affidavit submitted to Election Commission of India, he admitted ownership of weapons, which included a revolver and a rifle.[5][6]

He married Usha Saran, with whom he had two sons, Gaurav and Shashikant Prabhakar. Singh was brought into politics by Lalu Prasad Yadav, who first made him a candidate of Janata Dal in 1995 from Arwal Assembly constituency.[7]

In 2015, he was again made a candidate of Rashtriya Janata Dal from Arwal constituency and he defeated Chitranjan Kumar of Bharatiya Janata Party. He got 55,295 votes in this election, with Kumar and CPI-ML candidate Mahanand Singh finishing in second and third spot respectively.[8]

In 2023, his younger son Gaurav alias Diwakar was shot dead near Hichhan Bigha village in Aurangabad district of Bihar. Gaurav owned a poultry farm in the village and used to reside at his ancestral village.[1] Gaurav had contested Bihar Assembly elections in 2020 as an independent candidate from Arwal constituency.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ex MLA Ravindra Singh' son Diwakar shot dead". Prabhat Khabar. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Son of RJD former MLA from Arwal killed". News 18. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Neta mulls EMI plea to apex court". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ Personal interview of former Arwal MLA Ravindra Singh (in Hindi). 9 October 2023. Comment occurs between 2:00 and 3:00 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "Ravindra Singh winner". Myneta. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Too poor to pay fine only have car and guns". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Former RJD MLA Son Murder: गोलियों से गूंजा रोहिणी आचार्य का ससुराल, लालू के करीबी पूर्व विधायक के बेटे की हत्या". ABP news. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Arwal Election results". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Bihar: औरंगाबाद में RJD के पूर्व विधायक के बेटे की हत्या, अपराधियों ने गोलियों से भूना; पिता पर ही आरोप". Dainik Jagran. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.