Ram Vilas Paswan (5 July 1946 – 8 October 2020) was an Indian politician from Bihar and the founder of the Lok Janshakti Party. One of the country’s best-known Dalit leaders, he was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times, eight of them from Hajipur, and was a cabinet minister in governments led by six different Prime Ministers, of both the Congress-led and BJP-led alliances. His knack for joining the winning side led rivals to call him the “weathervane” of Indian politics.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Born | 5 July 1946, Shaharbanni, Khagaria district, Bihar, India |
| Died | 8 October 2020, New Delhi (aged 74) |
| Party | Lok Janshakti Party (founded 2000) |
| Offices | Union Minister for Labour, Railways, Communications, Coal, Chemicals and Steel, Consumer Affairs and Food |
| Constituency | Hajipur, Bihar |
| Education | Kosi College, Khagaria; Patna University (M.A., LL.B.) |
| Spouse | Rajkumari Devi; Reena Paswan |
| Children | 4, including Chirag Paswan |
| Honour | Padma Bhushan (2021, posthumous) |
Early Life
Paswan was born into a Dalit family in a village in Khagaria district. He passed the state civil service examination and was selected as a deputy superintendent of police in 1969, but chose politics instead and was elected to the Bihar assembly that year for the Samyukta Socialist Party. He was jailed for the whole of the Emergency.
Political Career
In 1977 he won Hajipur for the Janata Party by more than 4.2 lakh votes, then a world record margin. He bettered his own record in 1989.
As Labour and Welfare Minister in V. P. Singh’s government in 1989–90 he was closely associated with the decision to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendations and with the conferring of the Bharat Ratna on B. R. Ambedkar. He was Railway Minister under H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral, Communications Minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose government he left after the 2002 Gujarat riots, Chemicals and Steel Minister under Manmohan Singh, and Consumer Affairs and Food Minister under Narendra Modi from 2014, when he launched the “One Nation, One Ration Card” scheme.
He founded the party in 2000. In the Bihar election of February 2005 it won 29 seats and his refusal to back either side led to a fresh poll.
Death
Paswan died in Delhi on 8 October 2020 after heart surgery. His son, Chirag Paswan, a former actor, succeeded him in politics and became a Union minister in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Ram Vilas Paswan born?
Ram Vilas Paswan was born on 5 July 1946 in Shaharbanni, Khagaria district, Bihar, India.
When did Ram Vilas Paswan die?
Died: 8 October 2020, New Delhi (aged 74).
Featured image: Ram Vilas Paswan (left), then Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, addresses a press conference, New Delhi, 7 July 2017. Photo by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
