Bihar Congress stalwart Sadanand Singh dies at 78

He will be cremated with full state honours.

Singh, the tallest leader in the Bihar Congress, had also served as the state party president. He was a prominent OBC leader.

Singh won his first Assembly election from Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur) in 1969. He went on to win the seat eight more times. He did not contest the 2020 election and fielded his son Shubhanand Mukesh, who lost the seat to BJP’s Pawan Yadav.

Condoling Singh’s demise, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said- ‘Former Assembly speaker and senior Congress leader Sadanand Singh was an experienced leader. His demise has created irreparable loss to political and social spheres.’

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said- ‘Sadanand Singh did not belong just to Congress. His death has created a big vacuum in Bihar politics.’

Singh was the most prominent OBC voice in Congress in the post-Jagannath Mishra era. He carved out his own space in Bhagalpur politics despite the presence of top Congress leaders Bhagwat Jha Azad and Shiv Chandra Jha.

Singh was also known for being close to Chief Minister Kumar. When the CM parted ways with NDA, Singh, as Congress Legislature Party leader, had promptly offered him his party’s support.