View source for Amarsinh Chaudhary

{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Amarsinh Chaudhary
| image = Amarsinh Chaudhary Lok Sabha photo.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1941|7|31}}
| birth_place = [[Surat]], [[Bombay Province]], [[British India]] 
| residence = 
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|8|15|1941|7|31|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Ahmedabad]], Gujarat, India
| constituency =
| term_start = 6 July 1985
| term_end= 9 December 1989
| order = 8th [[Chief Minister of Gujarat]]
| predecessor = [[Madhav Singh Solanki]]
| successor = [[Madhav Singh Solanki]]
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| spouse = Gajraben and Nisha Gameti
| children = [[Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary|Tushar Chaudhary]], Tejas Chaudhary & Pragnesh Chaudhary
| footnotes = 
| date=
| year =
}}
'''Amarsinh Bhilabhai Chaudhary''' (31 July 1941 – 15 August 2004) was an Indian politician. He became the first ''[[adivasi]]'' to serve as the [[Chief Minister of Gujarat]] when he took office in 1985.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Spodek|first=Howard|title=From Gandhi to Violence: Ahmedabad's 1985 Riots in Historical Perspective|journal=Modern Asian Studies|year=1989|volume=23|issue=4|pages=771–773|doi=10.1017/S0026749X00010209|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Career ==
Chaudhary was a civil engineer and served as government employee for short time. He became a Member of Legislative Assembly from Radhanpur Constituency in 1970. He became a junior minister under [[Ghanshyam Oza]] in 1972 and later served as minister in subsequent cabinets. He was elected to Gujarat Vidhan Sabha from Vyara in 1985, and was the [[Chief Ministers of Gujarat|Chief Minister of Gujarat]] from 1985 to 1989. In 1990 Vidhan Sabha elections, he lost to his namesake Amarsinh (Zinabhai) Chaudhary, an independent candidate, from [[Vyara (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]]. Amarsinh Zinabhai Chaudhary had been elected to Lok Sabha in 1971 from Mandvi on Congress ticket. Amarsinh (Bhilabhai) Chaudhary later served as President of the [[Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee]] between June 2001 and July 2002. In 2002, he was elected to Gujarat Vidhan Sabha from Khedbrahma constituency, and was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party and leader of opposition in the [[Gujarat Legislative Assembly]].<ref name=th>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/16/stories/2004081605771100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040912083224/http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/16/stories/2004081605771100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 September 2004|title=Amarsinh's death, an irreparable loss to State|author=Dasgupta, Manas|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 August 2004}}</ref> He died in the middle of this term.

==Personal life==
Amarsinh Chaudhary was married to Gajraben and the couple had 3 children. In 1991, he married his companion Nisha Gameti without divorcing his first wife, and this caused a controversy with his first wife calling Nisha 'a venomous lady'. Nisha, on her part, had divorced her husband, with whom she had two children, in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mahijrkar 15|first=Uday|title=Former Gujarat CM Amarsinh Chaudhary's second marriage creates a stir|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19911015-former-gujarat-cm-amarsinh-chaudharys-second-marriage-creates-a-stir-814940-1991-10-15|access-date=2021-09-06|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

His second wife [[Nisha Chaudhary]] was elected to Lok Sabha from Sabarkantha thrice in 1990s. She died in 2001. After her death, he refused to contest Lok Sabha election in 2004, saying that he wanted to stay in Gujarat politics. He died a few weeks after the Lok Sabha election.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shah|first=Rajiv Jagubhai|title='I was against Vaghela only on principle' {{!}} Ahmedabad News – Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/i-was-against-vaghela-only-on-principle/articleshow/585539.cms|access-date=2021-09-06|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

Politician [[Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary]] is his son.

==Death==
Chaudhary was admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad on 24 July 2004 for severe liver and kidney complications. He died of cardiac arrest on 15 August 2004 after a prolonged illness.<ref name=th/>

==References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031116011414/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/06/10/stories/14102061.htm "''Amarsinh Chaudhary is PCC chief''"] – article in [[The Hindu]] dated 9 June 2001
*{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20050421075538/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/07/14/stories/2002071406071000.htm "''Amarsinh Chaudhary resigns, Waghela may take over''"]}} – article in ''The Hindu'' dated 14 July 2002
*{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20030302113349/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/12/20/stories/2002122005191100.htm "''Amarsinh Chaudhary elected Gujarat CLP leader''"]}} article in ''The Hindu'' dated 20 December 2002
*[http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/aug/15guj.htm "''Former Gujarat CM Amarsinh Chaudhary no more''"] article on rediff.com dated 15 August 2004
*[http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=7875 "''India News> Amarsinh Chaudhary dies:''"] – article in newkerala.com dated 15 August 2004
*[http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=7889 "''India News> Sonia condoles Amarsinh Chaudhary's death''"] – article in newkerala.com dated 15 August 2004

{{Chief Ministers of Gujarat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhary, Amarsinh}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Surat]]
[[Category:Chief ministers of Gujarat]]
[[Category:India MPs 1971–1977]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Leaders of the opposition in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Gujarat MLAs 1985–1990]]
[[Category:Chief ministers from Indian National Congress]]
[[Category:Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Gujarat]]


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