Amarinder Singh

Amarinder Singh (born 11 March 1942) is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. His father, Yadavindra Singh, was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala and a member of the historical Phulkian dyansty. Before starting his political career, Singh was an officer in the Indian Army, where he served from 1963 to 1966.

In his long political career, Singh has served in numerous positions including as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Punjab and as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha. He also served as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee thrice. Singh served as the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and 2017 to 2021. As of November 2022, Singh also serves as the chairman of the Punjab Urdu Academy. On 19 September 2022, he merged his party, Punjab Lok Congress, which he formed after leaving the Indian National Congress, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined BJP on the same day.

Early life and education

Singh was born on 11 March 1942 in Patiala, Patiala State, Punjab Province, British India. He was born into a royal Punjabi Jat Sikh family of the Sidhu clan to parents Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh and Maharani Mohinder Kaur of Patiala. His father, Yadavindra, was the last Maharaja of Patiala. Singh's family belongs to the historical Phulkian dynasty. In his youth, Singh held the tile of Yuvraj, which meant crown prince; however, royal titles were abolished by the Government of India in 1971 by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

Singh attended the Loreto Convent in Kaithu, Shimla and Lawrence School in Kasauli, Solan District, before going to The Doon School in Dehradun.