Ram Govind Chaudhary

Ram Govind Chaudhary
Leader of the Opposition,
17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh
In office
27 March 2017 – 10 March 2022
Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath
Preceded byGaya Charan Dinkar
Succeeded byAkhilesh Yadav
Member of Legislative Assembly of
Bansdih
In office
March 2012 – March 2022
Preceded byShiv Shankar
Succeeded byKetaki Singh
In office
February 2002 – May 2007
Preceded byBacha Pathak
Succeeded byShiv Shankar
ConstituencyBansdih, Ballia
Ministry of Basic Education, Child Development and Nutrition
Government of Uttar Pradesh
In office
May 2012 – March 2017
Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav
Member of Legislative Assembly of
Chilkahar
In office
June 1991 – December 1992
Succeeded bySangram Singh Yadav
In office
December 1989 – April 1991
In office
March 1985 – November 1989
In office
June 1980 – March 1985
In office
June 1977 – February 1980
Preceded byJagannath Chaudhary
ConstituencyChilkahar, Ballia
Personal details
Born(1953-07-09)9 July 1953
Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died25 September 2026(2026-09-25) (aged 73)
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
PartySamajwadi Party
SpouseKalawati Devi
Children1
EducationGorakhpur University, University of Lucknow
ProfessionPolitician, advocate

Ram Govind Chaudhary (9 July 1953 – 25 September 2026) was an Indian politician who was regarded as one of the prominent socialist leaders in the country. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2022. He was in charge of Basic Education and Child Nutrition and Development Ministries in previous Samajwadi Party Government of Uttar Pradesh led by Akhilesh Yadav. He was Member of Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from the Bansdih assembly seat, Ballia.

Chaudhary worked closely with Jayaprakash Narayan and Chandra Shekhar. He was also one of the close associates of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Early life and education

Chaudhary was born on 9 July 1953 in Gosaipur, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh to Dwarika Choudhary. In 1974, he got a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gorakhpur University, and in 1982, he received a degree in LLB from Lucknow University.

Political career

Chaudhary was MLA for eight terms. From 1977 to 1992 he represented Chilkahar constituency in Ballia of Uttar Pradesh. From 2002, he represented Bansdih (Assembly constituency) in Ballia as a member of the Samajwadi Party. He was also Minister of Horticulture and Food Processing in Mulayam Singh Yadav's cabinet (1990–91) and Minister of Child Development and Nutrition, Basic Education in Mulayam Singh Yadav's cabinet (2003–07) and Akhilesh Yadav's cabinet (2012–17).

From March 2017, he served as Leader of opposition in the Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh, as a leader of the Samajwadi Party.

Views

In May 2017, Chaudhary was criticized for his views against cow-protection campaigns, arguing that poor Muslims had been affected by cow vigilantism. He also questioned gau raksha activities and referred to the animal sacrifice to goddess Kali.

Personal life and death

Chaudhary was married to Kalawati Devi, and together they had a son. He died in Lucknow on 25 September 2026, at the age of 73.

Posts held

References

  1. 1 2 "रामगोविंद चौधरी बने नेता विरोधी दल" [Ram Govind Chaudhary becomes leader of opposition] (in Hindi). Patrika News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Primary Education Department". Bed.up.nic.in. 9 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bansdih Election Results 2017". Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ram Govind(Samajwadi Party(SP)):Constituency- BANSDIH(BALIA) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". myneta.info. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Member Profile". uplegisassembly.gov.in. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Candidate affidavit". myneta.info. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "UP Assembly: 'Had you not brought down Babri, temple would have been built'". The Indian Express. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "गोमांस नहीं खाते हिंदुस्तान के मुसलमान: नेता प्रतिपक्ष". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "'Narrow-mindedness stopped Hinduism from spreading far'". The Times of India. 18 May 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Ram Govind Chaudhary, SP stalwart & former LoP in UP Assembly, dies at 74". The Times of India. 25 September 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "1977 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "1980 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "1985 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "1989 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "1991 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  16. ↑ "2002 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  17. ↑ "2012 Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "Uttar Pradesh 2017 Result" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "Nishad heaps praise on Modi for NDA's win in UP elections". The Pioneer. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.