Editing V. P. Singh (section)

== Early political career ==
Singh was elected from [[Soraon (Assembly constituency)|Soraon]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/assembly-constituencies/1969-election-results.html | title=Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Election in 1969 Party Wise | publisher=Elections.in | access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref> to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1969 as a member of the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] and became the [[Whip (politics)|chief whip]] for the legislative party. He got elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 and was appointed a Deputy Minister of Commerce by Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] in 1974. He served as the [[Minister of Commerce and Industry (India)|Minister of Commerce]] in 1976–77.<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Informatics Centre|author-link=National Informatics Centre|date=2010|title=Tenth Lok Sabha, Members Bioprofile : SINGH, SHRI VISHWANATH PRATAP|url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/biodata_1_12/2259.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015033426/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/biodata_1_12/2259.htm|archive-date=15 October 2014|access-date=2020-12-22|website=[[Lok Sabha|LokSabha.nic]]}}</ref>

=== Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ===
He was appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1980 when Indira Gandhi was re-elected after the Janata interlude.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|date=23 November 2018|title=V.P. Singh &#124; Biography|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/545849/VP-Singh|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630101418/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/545849/VP-Singh|archive-date=2020-06-30|access-date=18 January 2019|publisher=Britannica.com}}</ref> As Chief Minister (1980–82), he cracked down hard on [[dacoity]], a problem that was particularly severe in the rural districts of the southwest Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VP Singh, the initiator of coalition politics in India |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/anniversary/vp-singh-the-initiator-of-coalition-politics-in-india/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=The Tribune |language=en}}</ref> He received much favourable national publicity when he offered to resign following a self-professed failure to stamp out the problem, and again when he personally oversaw the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits of the area in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The queen is dead {{!}} The Guardian {{!}} guardian.co.uk|url=https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,527406,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501154943/https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,527406,00.html|archive-date=2020-05-01|access-date=15 September 2020|website=www. the guardian.com}}</ref> The Behmai massacre provoked outrage across the country thereby causing V. P. Singh to resign in the wake of the killings.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Nation|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060501/nation.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029113752/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060501/nation.htm|archive-date=2020-10-29|access-date=15 September 2020|website=www.tribuneindia.com}}</ref> as he was the under whom [[Phoolan Devi]] surrendered as he saved her life by instructing the police officers to not kill her in the [[Police encounter]] to secure the votes of Dalits (though Phoolan's 22 gang members were killed).<ref>{{Cite news|agency=PTI|date=17 January 2020|title=39 years after the 1981 Behmai massacre involving Phoolan Devi, verdict likely on Jan 18|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/39-years-after-the-1981-behmai-massacre-involving-phoolan-devi-verdict-likely-on-jan-18/article30587097.ece|access-date=15 September 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Singh was an upper caste man and had ruled the vote bank of [[Uppercaste|upper-caste]] people in [[Uttar Pradesh]] for the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ricento|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rMqYIwZkIYgC&q=Ideology,+Politics,+and+Language+Policies:+Focus+on+English|title=Ideology, Politics and Language Policies: Focus on English|date=2000-11-28|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|isbn=978-90-272-9931-4|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=lKLkGi6FmjEC&dq=VP+Singh+as+Cm+of+Up&pg=PA141 141]|language=en}}</ref> He resumed his post as [[Minister of Commerce and Industry (India)|Minister of Commerce]] in 1983.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kudaisya|first=Gyanesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=roFjDwAAQBAJ&q=Region,+Nation,+%22Heartland%22:+Uttar+Pradesh+in+India's+Body|title=Region, Nation, "Heartland": Uttar Pradesh in India's Body Politic|date=2006-09-05|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-542-6|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=roFjDwAAQBAJ&dq=VP+Singh+as+Cm+of+Up&pg=PA419 419]|language=en|url-access=registration}}</ref>

=== Leader of Rajya Sabha ===
After he resigned from the position of [[Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh]], he was appointed as the leader of [[Rajya Sabha]] in the year 1984 and remained so until 1987. Before him the position was assigned to [[Pranab Mukherjee]], who was removed because he then formed his own party, [[Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Business News Live, Share Market News – Read Latest Finance News, IPO, Mutual Funds News|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Vishwanath-pratap-singh|access-date=16 September 2020|website=The Economic Times}}{{dead link|date=October 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> After Singh's tenure this position was given to [[N. D. Tiwari]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Mustafa|1y=1995|2a1=Chand|2y=1990|1pp=78|2pp=45–47}} He resigned from Rajya Sabha when he left Congress in 1987.{{Sfn|Rai|2006|p=(xviii)}}

=== Member of Lok Sabha ===
He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1971 from [[Phulpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Phulpur]]. He lost from [[Allahabad (Lok Sabha constituency)|Allahabad]] in 1977, but won in 1980 as member of Indira Congress. He resigned from Lok Sabha when he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in June 1980. After he resigned from Congress and quit as Rajya Sabha member in 1987,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sinha|first=Dipankar|date=1991|title=V. P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, and "Nowhere Politics" in India|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2645379|journal=Asian Survey|volume=31|issue=7|pages=598–612|doi=10.2307/2645379|jstor=2645379|issn=0004-4687|url-access=subscription}}</ref> he entered Lok Sabha by winning the bye-poll for Allahabad seat vacated by [[Amitabh Bachchan]].<ref>In August 1988, V. P. Singh won the by – election to the [[Lok Sabha]] from [[Allahabad (Lok Sabha constituency)|Allahabad]], which had been vacated when [[Amitabh Bachchan]]. V. P. Singh won the seat against the Congress( I ) contender, [[Sunil Shastri]], son of the late prime minister, [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]. ({{Harvard citation no brackets|Bhargava|1990|p=36}})</ref> He was elected to Lok Sabha from [[Fatehpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Fatehpur]] in 1989 and became Prime Minister for 11 months. He was elected from Fatehpur again in 1991, the last time he contested any election.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-30|title=Lok Sabha 2019 constituency: VP Singh won from Fatehpur, BJP holds it now|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/constituency-watch/lok-sabha-2019-constituency-vp-singh-won-from-fatehpur-bjp-holds-it-now/story-JUYQoBNRcDkL79lvO7aowJ.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703222729/https://www.hindustantimes.com/constituency-watch/lok-sabha-2019-constituency-vp-singh-won-from-fatehpur-bjp-holds-it-now/story-JUYQoBNRcDkL79lvO7aowJ.html|archive-date=2019-07-03|access-date=2020-12-18|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>