The man who brought down Ajit Singh
Som Pal, the former confidant of veteran
Janata Dal leader V P Singh, has earned a ministerial berth by
defeating political heavyweight and Bharatiya
Kisan Kamgar Party chief Ajit Singh in the Baghpat
constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
Economist, lawyer and agriculturalist rolled
into one, Som Pal brings to office a rich administrative
experience.
A sitting Rajya Sabha member, he was associated with the Janata Dal for many years. When former Bihar chief minister
Laloo Prasad Yadav carved the Rashtriya Janata Dal out from the
Janata Dal in 1996, Som Pal threw his lot with the new party.
However, his association with the Bihar strongman was short-lived. On December 25, 1997, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was propelled into limelight when he defeated Ajit Singh. Baghpat was considered to be
the stronghold of Ajit Singh and before him, his father and former
prime minister, Charan Singh.
Born on January 20, 1942 at Kakor Kalan village in Meerut
district to Raghuvir Singh Shastri and Ganga Devi,
Som Pal attended
the Hans Raj and Kirori Mal colleges in Delhi. Later, he took an LLB
degree from the Delhi university law faculty.
UNI
Elections '98
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