Raman Singh

Raman Singh (born 15 October 1952) is an Indian politician who formerly served as the National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2019 to 2023 and as a member of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly representing Rajnandgaon since 2008 and from Dongargaon from 2004 to 2008. He also served as the 2nd and the longest serving Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for 15 years from 2003 to 2018, Minister of State for Commerce and Industries in the Vajpayee cabinet from 1999 to 2003, Member of the Lok Sabha from Rajnanadgaon from 1999 to 2003 and a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Kawardha from 1990 to 1998.

Background
Raman Singh was born in Kawardha, in a Hindu Rajput family, to Vighnaharan Singh Thakur, an advocate, and Sudha Singh. After completion of schooling, he graduated from Government Science College, Bemetara in 1972. In the year 1975 he also studied Ayurvedic Medicine at Government Ayurvedic College, Raipur.

Political career
Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party as a youth member and was the president of youth wing in Kawardha in 1976-77. He progressed to become a councillor of Kawardha municipality in 1983.

He was elected to Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly consecutively in 1990 and 1993 from Kawardha (Vidhan Sabha constituency). In 1998 general election he lost the kawardha seat. After that in 1999 he was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from the Rajnandgaon constituency in Chhattisgarh. In the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh became the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry from 1999 to 2003. He was later named as President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the new state of Chhattisgarh, and led the party to a victory in the 2003 state Assembly elections. With the other main contender for the Chief Minister's post, Dilip Singh Judeo, caught in the midst of a scam, the BJP leadership named Raman Singh as Chhattisgarh's second Chief Minister, and the first person to be elected to that post. He entered Vidhan Sabha by contesting bypoll in 2004 from Dongargaon. He has won 3 successive Vidhan Sabha elections - in 2008, 2013, and 2018 - from Rajnandgaon seat.

He has received praise for his organisational abilities, as reflected in his state's position with regard to implementation of a programme to improve the conditions of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. The United Nations has also recognised the work done in Chhattisgarh under his leadership and the fiscal management of the state is another aspect for which he is known.

He banned Naxalite organisations in Chhattisgarh in 2002 under the "Salwa Judum" initiative, a move supported by the opposition party as well, led by Mahendra Karma who was assassinated by Naxalites on 25 May 2013. Singh was sworn in for his second term on 12 December 2008. On 8 December 2013 he was re-elected as the chief minister (CM) of the state. In August 2017, Chief Minister Raman Singh completed 5000 days as the Chief Minister of the state. By introducing distribution of major commodities such as wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene through a network of fair price shops called the public distribution system (PDS), Singh has earned nationwide popularity. As a move to encourage the start-up culture and offering several incentives for start-up entrepreneur he started the "Startup Chhattisgarh" scheme. His other initiatives include promotion of digital technology, interest free agricultural loans in addition to banning the naxal groups, which made him popular in Chhattisgarh. Singh's government had received attention for number of welfare measures like Medical care, food security, the Charan Paduka Yojana that entitles people to free shoes, the Saraswati Cycle Yojana that promises a free bicycle to school-going girls, and Mukhya Mantri Teerth Yatra Yojana that allows the elderly to go on their desired pilgrimage, it had introduced in the course of the 15 odd years it had been in power, despite poverty and agrarian distress for 18 years.

BJP won the election in 2013 for his third tenure as a CM of Chhattisgarh. After the loss of his party in the 2018 assembly elections, he resigned as the CM of Chhattisgarh on 11 December 2018.

He has been designated as Speaker of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly since 2023

Electoral history

 * 1990 : MLA in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, from Kawardha seat
 * 1993 : MLA in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, from Kawardha seat
 * 1998 : Lost Vidhan Sabha election from Kawardha (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
 * 1999 : Won Lok Sabha Election, from Rajnandgaon (Lok Sabha constituency)
 * 2003 : Became Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, 2003-2018
 * 2004 : MLA in Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha, from Dongargaon seat, via a by-poll
 * 2008 : MLA in Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha, from Rajnandgaon and 2nd term Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh
 * 2013 : MLA in Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha, from Rajnandgaon and 3rd term Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh
 * 2018 : MLA in Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha, from Rajnandgaon.
 * 2018 - 18 December 2023: National Vice President of Bhartiya Janta Party.
 * 2023 : MLA in Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha, from Rajnandgaon.
 * 2023 : Speaker of Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha