Saurabh Narain Singh is an Indian politician and former member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. A member of the Indian National Congress, he represented Hazaribagh from 2005 to 2014, chaired several legislative committees, and later contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from the constituency.
Background
Singh was born in New Delhi on January 21, 1975. He belongs to the Ramgarh Raj family of the former Ramgarh estate in present-day Jharkhand and is a grandson of Kamakhya Narayan Singh, popularly known as the Padma Raja. His paternal grandmother, Lalita Rajlaxmi, served as finance minister of Bihar, while his maternal grandfather, Dinesh Singh, held ministerial offices in the Union government.
His early life connected metropolitan education with the political and landed history of the Hazaribagh region. The Ramgarh estate was one of the historic zamindari and princely houses of the Chota Nagpur area, while Hazaribagh later became an important administrative and electoral center in Jharkhand.
Education
Singh received his early schooling at Hillgrange Preparatory School in Dehradun, followed by education at Modern School, New Delhi, and The Doon School in Dehradun. Modern School is a prominent Delhi institution founded in 1920, while The Doon School, established in 1935, is an independent boarding school known for educating public figures and political leaders.
He studied at Dayal Singh College in New Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1996. The college is a constituent institution of the University of Delhi, whose federated colleges form one of India's principal public university systems. Singh later completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Western Australia in Perth in 1998, joining an Australian university founded in 1911 and recognized for research and professional education.
Career
Singh began his professional career in the private sector after completing his MBA in Australia. In 1998 he returned to India and joined Citibank in New Delhi, gaining experience in the banking and corporate environment before entering electoral politics.
He joined the Indian National Congress in 2004 and won election from Hazaribagh in the 2005 Jharkhand Assembly election. He served as a member of the second Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2009 and retained the constituency in the 2009 election, becoming a member of the third Assembly from 2009 to 2014.
During the third Assembly, Singh chaired the Committee on Subordinate Legislation from 2010 to 2011, the Public Accounts Committee from 2011 to 2013, and the Zero Hour Committee from 2013 to 2014. The first committee examines the use of delegated legislative power, the second reviews public expenditure in light of audit reports, and the third organizes matters raised by legislators without prior listed business.
Singh was also a member of the State Wildlife Board of Jharkhand from 2010 to 2014. In 2014 he contested the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency as the Congress candidate, but did not win the seat.
Achievements
Singh won the Hazaribagh Assembly constituency in the 2005 Jharkhand election and retained it in 2009, serving two consecutive terms in the state legislature.
As a legislator, Singh chaired the Committee on Subordinate Legislation, the Public Accounts Committee, and the Zero Hour Committee of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly between 2010 and 2014.
Singh contested the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency as the Indian National Congress candidate in the 2014 general election.
Politics
Singh has been associated with the Indian National Congress, joining the party in 2004 and representing it in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from Hazaribagh. The Congress is one of India's major political parties and has historically emphasized parliamentary democracy, secular constitutional government, social welfare, and national development.
He entered electoral politics in the period after Jharkhand was created as a separate state in 2000. Singh won the Hazaribagh Assembly constituency in 2005 and again in 2009, serving during the second and third Jharkhand Legislative Assemblies. In 2014 he contested the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat as a Congress candidate and was defeated by Jayant Sinha of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Views
Singh has expressed the view that younger and educated people should participate in politics and contribute new ideas to public life. In his public statements during the 2009 election period, he emphasized development and proposed strengthening Hazaribagh's educational infrastructure.
Membership
Singh served on the State Wildlife Board of Jharkhand from 2010 to 2014. State wildlife boards advise on wildlife conservation and protected-area matters within the framework of India's wildlife-protection administration.
Served as a member of the state wildlife advisory board.
State Wildlife Board of Jharkhand
,
India
2010 - 2014
Personality
Singh was described in contemporary political reporting as soft-spoken and focused on presenting a modern, educated image in public life.
Quotes from others about the person
In a 2009 interview, Singh said that educated and young people should enter politics because they could bring new ideas. He also identified the development of Hazaribagh as an educational hub as one of his political priorities.
Connections
Singh is married to Rani Ujwala Prabha. His father was Indra Jitendra Narain Singh, and his wider family has been associated with the Ramgarh Raj estate and public life in Bihar and Jharkhand. His grandfather Kamakhya Narayan Singh was the former Raja of Ramgarh, while his maternal grandfather Dinesh Singh served as a Union minister.
Father:
Indra Jitendra Narain Singh
Associated with the Ramgarh Raj family and the Hazaribagh region.
Wife:
Rani Ujwala Prabha
Grandfather:
Kamakhya Narayan Singh
Former Raja of Ramgarh, popularly known as the Padma Raja.
Grandfather:
Dinesh Singh
Served as a Union minister in successive Indian governments.
References
Jharkhand: Classy MLA looks to dazzle Hazaribagh electorate
The Economic Times profile discusses Singh's education, MBA from the University of Western Australia, employment at Citibank, entry into the Congress, family background, legislative career, and development priorities.
2009
Battle royale in Hazaribagh - Sinha son vs Singh scion
The Telegraph profile covers Singh's 2014 Lok Sabha candidacy, his Ramgarh family background, educational history, corporate experience, and contest against Jayant Sinha.
