'Irreparable Loss To Indian Politics': Veteran Socialist Leader Sharad Yadav Passes Away At 75

The former union minister and one of the most widely-known socialist leaders, Sharad Yadav, passed away on Thursday (January 12) at a private hospital in Gurugram, Haryana, where he was taken in an unconscious and unresponsive state. According to the statement released by the hospital, he didn't have any recordable blood pressure or pulse when admitted. Despite giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as per Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) protocols, he couldn't be revived.

Sharad Yadav is best known for starting his political career from the grassroots level and achieving numerous milestones in his capabilities. He was born on July 1, 1947, to Sumitra Yadav and Kishore Yadav in a small village in Madhya Pradesh. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree from Jabalpur and attended the Jabalpur Engineering College to complete the Electrical Engineering course.

Being an educationist and an engineer by profession, he stepped into politics as a student leader. He associated with the anti-Congress campaign and was involved in the JP movement. He remained a vital member of the opposition for an extended period.

In a bypoll, he contested an election from Jabalpur in 1974 as part of the anti-emergency struggle. He was the candidate of the combined opposition parties and defeated the Congress candidate in the bypoll elections. After winning the election, he never looked back and went on to win the same Lok Sabha constituency in the second term.

Yadav Wore Many Hats

Sharad Yadav is remembered as a seasoned parliamentarian who won the Lok Sabha elections seven times and was elected to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) for three terms from three states, reported India Today. As a Member of Parliament, he resigned from the parliament three times on value conflicts and moral grounds.

A socialist stalwart, Yadav did exceptionally well in his decades-long political career. He was seen putting efforts in 1990 to implement the Mandal Commission report granting reservation quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Due to his demand for a caste-based quota in the Women's Reservation Bill, the Congress government had to hold back the law. Yadav's efforts also pushed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to initiate a socio-economic caste census whose report was never published.

Political Journey- From JP Movement To Union Minister

As a product of the JP movement in the 1970s, which took on Indira Gandhi, and as a follower of Ram Manohar Lohia's ideals, he played a vital role in shaping Indian politics. He was the key founding member of the Janata Dal party, whose victory uprooted the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress party from the center.

After serving as a cabinet minister in Prime Minister VP Singh's government, he held various portfolios, including the civil aviation minister during 1999 and 2004 in the NDA government. He formed his party- Loktantrik Janata Dal, in 2018 after leaving Janata Dal (U) due to its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar.

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