Virbhadra Singh was known for punctuality, compassion

Shimla, July 8

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Virbhadra Singh was born into the erstwhile royal family of Bushair to Raja Padam Singh. He did his schooling from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. He graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, before taking a plunge into electoral politics.

Virbhadra was always dressed immaculately and wore his trademark green “Bushairi cap”. He was known for his punctuality and compassion. His wife Pratibha Singh had won two Lok Sabha elections from Mandi in 2004 and 2013; she defeated Jai Ram Thakur in 2013. His son Vikramaditya Singh is a first-time MLA from Shimla (Rural) seat that he had represented earlier.

He had four daughters from his first wife, Rani Ratna Kumari, who hailed from the Jubbal royal family. One of his daughters, Abhilasha Kumari, had been a Judge of the Gujarat High Court and is at present a member of the Lok Pal. In November 1985, Virbhadra, who had lost his first wife, married Pratibha Singh; they have a son, Vikramaditrya Singh, and a daughter, Aprajita Kumari, who married Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s grandson in 2015.

His last stint as the CM from 2012 to 2017 saw him facing corruption charges with the IT Department, CBI and the ED filing cases against him, his wife and son, which are still at various stages of investigation. —TNS

Last battle with Covid

Octogenarian Virbhadra, who waged many a political battles both within and outside the Congress, successfully fought Covid twice but later died of post-Covid complications. His last days in hospital symbolised his fighting spirit, as despite age and a number of ailments such as diabetes, kidney and heart problems, he recovered from Covid twice. His wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya, too, were infected with Covid.