Former Union minister Raghunath Jha passes away

Former Union minister Raghunath Jha passed away at the age of 78 at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital last night.

Born on 9 August 1939, Jha was Union minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise and member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. An ardent follower of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, the 73-year-old Jha remained a member of Socialist Party till 1972 before switching over to the Congress and successfully contesting the assembly elections from Sheohar.

His career included stints with several different political parties, including the Socialist Party, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Samajwadi Party.

In fact, he was one of the three chief ministerial candidates in Bihar after the 1990 assembly polls. Ultimately, Lalu Prasad succeeded in his bid to lead the state's first Janata Dal government.

OneIndia News