Former Union Cabinet Minister Sharad Yadav passed away

On 12 January 2023, Sharad Yadav, famous socialist leader, passed away at the age of 75 at the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram. He was a veteran politician who was suffering from illness for sometime.

Sharad Yadav was born on 1 July 1947 in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. He completed his bachelor's from Jabalpur Engineering college. Sharad Yadav was one of the founding members of the Janata Dal. He remained the national president of Janta Dal United (JDU) till 2016.

He made a valuable contribution to Bihar politics and also Indian politics. He was elected seven times as a member of Lok Sabha. He remained a member of the Rajya Sabha for three terms. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1974 in a by-poll from Jabalpur. He was elected as a member of Lok Sabha from three different constituencies of three states- Jabalpur (MP), Badaun (UP), and Madhepura (Bihar). He won the Lok Sabha seat from Madhepura four times in 1991, 1996, 1999, and 2009.

He remained cabinet minister twice in VP Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee's governments. He served as Minister of Civil Aviation and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.

On his death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that In five decades-long public life, he always raised the issues of the people and the backward. He continued to carry forward the basic principles of the Samajwadi Party till his last breath. Sharad Yadav was the main leader in the leadership that emerged after fighting against the Emergency.