Singh, Charan (1902-1987), was India’s prime minister from mid-1979 to early 1980. He led a coalition (partnership) government following the resignation of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. However, the coalition fell apart shortly after Singh took office.
Singh was born in the village of Noorpur in the United Provinces (now the state of Uttar Pradesh) on Dec. 23, 1902. He earned a law degree in 1926 and became a lawyer. Singh soon became active in politics and joined the liberal Indian National Congress party (sometimes called the Congress Party, or just Congress).
In 1937, Singh was first elected to the United Provinces Legislative Assembly. India became independent in 1947, and the United Provinces became the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Singh served in many offices in the Uttar Pradesh state government. He helped with state land reform and worked to end government corruption.
In 1967, Singh left the Congress Party and founded the Bharatiya Kranti Dal party (later renamed Lok Dal). Lok Dal stood in opposition to Congress Party Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1977, Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament. That year, Morarji Desai of the Janata Party became prime minister of a coalition government. The Janata coalition was a group of several parties, including Lok Dal. Singh was chosen as Desai’s deputy prime minister.
Desai resigned on July 15, 1979, and Singh became prime minister later that month. Soon after, one of the coalition partners withdrew its support. Singh’s government fell, and he stayed in office as caretaker prime minister. In January 1980, Indira Gandhi’s newly organized Congress-I Party won control of Parliament. On January 14, Singh turned power over to Gandhi, who began her second term as prime minister. Singh remained a supporter of farming communities throughout his life. He died on May 29, 1987.
