Background
He was born in Subh Natahi village in Ballia on 5 August 1933.
He was born in Subh Natahi village in Ballia on 5 August 1933.
He was Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws He was president of the student union of Doaba Inter College and attended Allahabad University as well.
While still a student, he joined the Samajwadi Yuvajan Sabha and met Doctor Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain. He represented the Allahabad constituency three times. Subsequently, he defeated V.P.Singh by almost 90,000 votes from Allahabad-Jamunapaar parliamentary constituency in 1977 elections.
He served in the governments of Morarji Desai, Chaudhary Charan Singh, V P Singh, Chandrashekhar, H Doctorate Deve Gowda and I K Gujral.
He served as union minister of state from 1977. He also held portfolios of Petroleum, Water Resources Chemicals and Fertilisers, Energy, Shipping and Transport, and Communication and Railways.
He served as the minister of state for Railways in the Chandra Shekhar government during 1990-1991. He was Railways Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government in 1990-1991.
He was elected to in 1996.
He was re-elected to in 2000 and 2006. He died due to cardiac arrest on 22 January 2010 at Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital in Allahabad. He is survived by two daughters.
The new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav credits Janeshwar Mishra with initiating him into politics.
He was known as Chhote Lohia (Lohia Junior) for his commitment towards socialist ideology.
He was a member of the Parliament of India and also represented Uttar Pradesh in the, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. He first became the member of by defeating K Doctorate Malviya, the sitting Petroleum Minister in Indira Gandhi Cabinet from Phulpur constituency in Allahabad district in 1969-1970. He served as a Member of Sixth, 1977-1980, and as Member of Ninth, 1989-1991.
At the time of death, he was the Samajwadi Party"s vice president and member of the.