Ex-union minister passes away

PRAYAGRAJ, Feb 22 (HS): Former Union Minister and four times MP from Phulpur parliamentary constituency in Prayagraj Ram Pujan Patel (85) passed away on Monday. He was suffering from prolonged illness and breathed his last here at his residence in Teliyarganj locality. Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav has arrived in Prayagraj to attend a private function at the residence of former union minister, Salim Iqbal Shervani. He is likely to visit the residence of deceased party leader Ram Pujan Patel who remained stood in solidarity with the then, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav when he broke away with erstwhile Janata Dal and formed his own party in 1992.

Ram Pujan Patel has served as union minister in VP Singh government and served as minister in UP government twice.  Between 1989 and 1996, the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency was represented by Janata Dal candidate, Ram Pujan Patel, who first registered a win in the constituency on a Congress ticket in 1984 subsequently, retained the seat as a Janata Dal candidate between 1989 and 1996.

From 1980 to 2004, Phulpur emerged as a stronghold of Patel community. It got reflected in BD Singh’s win in 1980. It was followed by Ram Pujan Patel winning Phulpur on three successive occasions followed by Samajwadi Party’s Jang Bahadur Patel defeating Kanshi Ram of the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1996.