Thakur Devi Singh

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Thakur Devi Singh (born c. 1922 - died 1989)[1][2] was a politician from Himachal Pradesh, India. He was among the early major political figures from the Scheduled Tribes of Himachal Pradesh.

Personal life[edit]

Singh belonged to the Lahaul valley in the present-day Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. He was born in Lahaul while Lahaul was still a part of the Kangra district of the Punjab Province of British India. His father was Seth Tenzin, who owned 500 goats and sheep.[1] He went to Government School Katrain (in the Kullu valley) for his schooling, where in 1935, he first met Shiv Chand Thakur, also from Lahaul. Thereafter, both went to the Government High School in Kullu.

In 1944, Thakur Devi Singh and Thakur Shiv Chand became the first two graduates ever from Lahaul, when they completed their BA degrees from the DAV College, Lahore. Singh was active in the Indian Independence movement. The two closely collaborated over their careers in helping bring development to Lahaul and Spiti district - the former as a politician and the latter as an officer of the Himachal Administrative Service (H.A.S).[1][3][4]

Career[edit]

The 'Thakur Devi Singh Bridge' at Tandi, Lahaul.

In 1948, during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-48, Thakur Devi Singh, Thakur Nihal Chand, and Shiv Chand Thakur from Lahaul were instrumental in persuading and facilitating the Indian army to route its supplies to Ladakh - then under attack from Pakistani forces - through Lahaul, via the Rohtang and Baralacha passes.[5][6] Thakur Devi Singh and Thakur Shiv Chand Thakur played key roles in the struggle that led to the Lahaul and Spiti district the status of a tribal area in 1952.[3][7] In the 1960s, Singh served as the Block Development Officer of Lahaul. In this period, he worked with the IAS officer K.S. Bains in introducing disease-free seed potatoes to Lahaul.[3][8]

Politics[edit]

In the 1967 Vidhan Sabha elections, Singh had contested and won the MLA seat for the Lahaul and Spiti assembly constituency as an independent candidate. In 1972, he contested this seat on a Lok Raj Party ticket, and lost to Lata Thakur. He won this seat in the 1977 elections on a Janata Party ticket, and in 1982 and 1985 on Indian National Congress tickets.[9][10]

During the first term of the Janata Party leader Shanta Kumar as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (1977-1980), Singh was appointed as a cabinet minister, and came to hold the post of forest minister.[11][12]

Electoral performance[edit]

1985 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election : Lahaul and Spiti[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Thakur Devi Singh 8,646 96.31% Increase42.92
Independent Shiv Chand Thakur 331 3.69% New
Margin of victory 8,315 92.63% Increase71.88
Turnout 8,977 61.17% Decrease11.85
Registered electors 15,175 Increase2.09
INC hold Swing
1982 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election : Lahaul and Spiti[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Thakur Devi Singh 5,636 53.40% New
BJP Surinder Chand 3,446 32.65% New
Independent Bir Singh 768 7.28% New
CPI Khushal Chand 705 6.68% New
Margin of victory 2,190 20.75% Decrease34.61
Turnout 10,555 72.63% Increase17.17
Registered electors 14,864 Increase8.03
INC gain from JP Swing Decrease22.86
1977 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election : Lahaul and Spiti[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
JP Thakur Devi Singh 5,649 76.26% New
Independent Shiv Chand Thakur 1,548 20.90% New
Independent Phunchog Rai 211 2.85% New
Margin of victory 4,101 55.36% Increase44.16
Turnout 7,408 55.53% Decrease24.37
Registered electors 13,759 Increase11.82
JP gain from INC Swing Increase20.65
1972 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election: Lahaul and Spiti[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Lata Thakur 5,351 55.60% Increase12.04
Independent Thakur Devi Singh 4,273 44.40% New
Margin of victory 1,078 11.20% Increase3.35
Turnout 9,624 78.21% Increase14.44
Registered electors 12,305 Decrease42.91
INC gain from Independent Swing Increase4.19
1967 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election : Lahaul and Spiti[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Thakur Devi Singh 7,066 51.41% New
INC N. Chand 5,987 43.56% New
Independent D. Datt 691 5.03% New
Margin of victory 1,079 7.85%
Turnout 13,744 63.78%
Registered electors 21,553
Independent win (new seat)

Memorials[edit]

  • The district library of the Lahaul and Spiti district in the district headquarters at Keylong is named 'Thakur Devi Singh Memorial District Library'.[18]
  • The bridge over the Chandra River at Tandi in Lahaul is named 'Thakur Devi Singh Bridge'.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Thakur, Shiv Chand (2020). Kullu, Lahul-Spiti evam Leh-Ladakh - atmakatha, yatra sansmaran, itihaas, evam vikas (in Hindi). Kullu: Gurukul Bahumukhi Shiksha Sansthan.
  2. ^ Lal, Shiv (1990). Non-Congressism is Reborn: 1989-90 Polls and Parties. Election Archives. ISBN 978-81-7051-075-8.
  3. ^ a b c Kumar, Ajai (2004). "Development and Social Mobility among the Lahulis of Himachal Pradesh". Sociological Bulletin. 53 (2): 222–237. doi:10.1177/0038022920040204. ISSN 0038-0229. JSTOR 23620403. S2CID 157512165.
  4. ^ Tribune News Service (September 8, 2022). "Tribal heroes' contribution to freedom struggle laudable: Himachal Pradesh CM". The Tribune.
  5. ^ Rana, J. P. Singh (1997). Himalayan Heritage. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7533-026-9.
  6. ^ Shabab, Dilaram (2019-02-26). Kullu: The Valley of Gods. Hay House, Inc. p. 64. ISBN 978-93-86832-92-4.
  7. ^ "Rohtang Tunnel – Remember the Workers who Built it". NewsClick. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  8. ^ Chauhan, Kuldeep (August 22, 2005). "Lahaulis remember the 'potato man'". The Tribune.
  9. ^ Socialist India. Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee. 1972.
  10. ^ "IndiaVotes AC: Winner summary over elections for Lahaul". IndiaVotes. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  11. ^ Sharma, T. R. (1987). "Observations on Himachal Politics". The Indian Journal of Political Science. 48 (4): 494–505. ISSN 0019-5510. JSTOR 41855333.
  12. ^ Link: Indian Newsmagazine. 1979.
  13. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1985 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 14 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1982 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 17 January 2012.
  15. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1977 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 19 March 2016.
  16. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1967 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 17 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Thakur Devi Singh Memorial District Library, Keylong". Punlib.net.
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