category Regional, shimla, , tags Regional, shimla, , DW BUREAU SHIMLA A statue of Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, was unveiled at Sainj near Rampur on the eve of his 89th birth anniversary on Thursday. Unveiling the statue, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said being one of the most respected and tallest leaders of the state, Singh was also the architect of modern Himachal. He brought the state to the forefront in the health and education sectors and never encouraged regionalism and casteism. Singh believed in a balanced and uniform development of the entire state, he added. Singh who took over as chief minister for the first time on April 8, 1983, was sworn in again on March 5, 1985, after mid-term polls. He took over as the chief minister in December 1993, March 1998, March 2003 and December 2012. His innings ended in 2017 after the defeat of the Congress party in assembly polls. Singh also served as deputy minister, minister of state and cabinet minister in the Union ministry and was elected to Lok Sabha five times. He passed away on July 8, 2021. Speaking on the occasion, public works minister and son of Virbhadra Singh Vikramaditya Singh said an institution would be run in the name of the former chief minister and his statutes would be installed at other places also. A six-time chief minister, Virbhadra had won nine assembly and five Lok Sabha elections, a feat few politicians can boast of. He also remained State Congress President in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 2012. He made his entry into politics after being elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1962. He remained Union Minister for Steel and also and a Deputy Minister in Indira Gandhi cabinet. It was on April 12 after testing positive for Covid that Virbhadra was shifted to Max, Mohali. Though he recovered and was discharged but had to be hospitalized again on April 30 after his oxygen saturation levels fell. Eversince he remained admitted to IGMC while being treated for heart and kidney ailments. Even as he showed good signs of recovery, it was on June 11 that he again contracted Covid infection. Notwithstanding his age and comorbidities, he fought the dreaded virus successfully for the second time. (editor dailyworld.in)