Senior Bihar Congress leader Sadanand Singh passes away; leaders pay tribute

During his political career, Singh, a 9-term MLA, held several important positions.

Senior Bihar Congress leader Sadanand Singh passed away on Wednesday, prompting outpouring of grief in the state’s political circles. Singh, who, according to reports, was severely ill for the last few days, breathed his last at a hospital in Danapur, where he was undergoing treatment.

Sadanand Singh (twitter.com/DrMadanMohanJha)

During his political career, Singh, a 9-term MLA, held several important positions. He was a former Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in the Bihar assembly, and also headed the party’s state unit. A former Speaker of the assembly from 2000 to 2005, Singh was also a minister in erstwhile Bihar governments.

Several senior leaders from Bihar, including deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, condoled the Congress leader’s demise. “This news is deeply disturbing. The void left behind by him will not be filled so easily. Our sympathies are with his family,” Prasad, from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tweeted in Hindi.

Yadav, who is from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), described Singh as a skilled politician. “I express my deepest condolences on the passing away of Sadanand Singh. He had a long social and political experience. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his family to bear this loss,” he tweeted.

Dr Madan Mohan Jha, who heads the Bihar Congress, said that the late politician was a father figure to him. Jha tweeted, “This is the end of a political era. I will always remember your smiling face.”

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, too, conveyed his condolences on the veteran leader’s demise.