MichaleFlint91 at 09:23, 1 May 2026

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{{Short description|Indian politician and diplomat (1950–2020)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ajay Singh Chahar
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| office1 = [[List of ambassadors and high commissioners of India|High Commissioner]] to [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]]
| term_start1 = 2005
| term_end1 = 2007
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Lok Sabha]]
| constituency2 = [[Agra Lok Sabha constituency|Agra]]
| office3 = [[Minister of Railways (India)|Union Deputy Minister, Railways]]
| office4 = President of the [[Jat Mahasabha]]
| term_start4 = March 2013
| term_end4 = May 2013
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1950|8|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = Uttar Pradesh, India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|6|9|1950|8|15|df=y}}
| death_place =
| party = [[Janata Dal]]
| spouse =
| children =
| alma_mater = St. Stephen's College, Delhi University
| profession = Diplomat, Politician, Journalist
| known_for =
| term_start2 = 1989
| term_end2 = 1991
| term_start3 = 23 April 1990
| term_end3 = 10 November 1990
| office5 = Member of the [[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council]]
| term_start5 = July 1986
| term_end5 = December 1989
| predecessor2 = Nihal Singh
| successor2 = [[Bhagwan Shankar Rawat]]
| predecessor4 = [[Dara Singh]]
| successor4 = [[Amarinder Singh]]
| predecessor3 = [[Mahaveer Prasad]]
| successor3 = Position not in use
| constituency3 = [[Agra Lok Sabha constituency|Agra]]
| honorific_prefix = Shri
}}

'''Ajay Singh Chahar''' (15 August 1950 – 9 June 2020) was an Indian politician and diplomat from [[Agra]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]. He was elected to [[9th Lok Sabha]] representing [[Agra Lok Sabha constituency|Agra constituency]] after defeating Singh family who held the seat since Independence. He was a member of [[Janata Dal]].<ref name="‘You as Editor will be respected by politicians’ – Ajay Singh was told, he still quit media">{{cite news|last1=|first1=|title='You as Editor will be respected by politicians' – Ajay Singh was told, he still quit media|url=https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/you-as-editor-will-be-respected-by-politicians-ajay-singh-was-told-he-still-quit-media/917677/|accessdate=1 July 2025|publisher=ThePrint|date=16 April 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701081806/https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/you-as-editor-will-be-respected-by-politicians-ajay-singh-was-told-he-still-quit-media/917677/|archivedate=1 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री चौ. अजय सिंह चाहर का गुरुग्राम में निधन, दिल्ली और न्यूजीलैंड में की पढ़ाई, वर्षों की पत्रकारिता">{{cite news|title=पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री चौ. अजय सिंह चाहर का गुरुग्राम में निधन, दिल्ली और न्यूजीलैंड में की पढ़ाई, वर्षों की पत्रकारिता|url=https://www.amarujala.com/delhi-ncr/former-union-minister-ajay-singh-chahar-died-in-gurugram-hospital-after-long-time-illness|accessdate=1 July 2025|publisher=Amar Ujala|date=9 June 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701080337/https://www.amarujala.com/delhi-ncr/former-union-minister-ajay-singh-chahar-died-in-gurugram-hospital-after-long-time-illness|archivedate=1 July 2025|language=hi}}</ref><ref name="फीजी में वरिष्ठ उपसंपादक से भारत के उपरेलमंत्री तक, कुछ ऐसा रहा अजय सिंह चाहर का सफर">{{cite news|title=फीजी में वरिष्ठ उपसंपादक से भारत के उपरेलमंत्री तक, कुछ ऐसा रहा अजय सिंह चाहर का सफर|url=https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/agra-city-former-union-minister-ajay-singh-passes-away-know-the-journey-of-former-union-minister-20370094.html|accessdate=1 July 2025|publisher=Jagran|date=9 July 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701080501/https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/agra-city-former-union-minister-ajay-singh-passes-away-know-the-journey-of-former-union-minister-20370094.html|archivedate=1 July 2025|language=hi|url-status=live}}</ref>

He served as union deputy minister for railways in [[V. P. Singh ministry|V. P. Singh Government]]. He was also elected to [[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council]] in 1986. He was India's High Commissioner to [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]], [[Tonga]], [[Tuvalu]] and [[Cook Islands]] from 2005 to 2007.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ajay |title=Fiji, a Love Story |publisher=Shipra publications |year=2022 |isbn=9789391978358}}</ref> He also served a president of [[Jat Mahasabha|All India Jat Mahasabha]] briefly from 30 March 2013 to 12 May 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=जाट महासभा |url=https://www.jatmahasabhaglobal.com/hi |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=jatmahasabhaglobal.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=IndiaVotes PC: Uttar Pradesh [1947 - 1999] 1989 |url=https://www.indiavotes.com/lok-sabha/1989/uttar-pradesh%20[1947%20-%201999]/9/8 |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=IndiaVotes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-16 |title=Review: Fiji: A Love Story by Ajay Singh |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/review-fiji-a-love-story-by-ajay-singh-101652707603333.html |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Bhaichand |date=2022-04-02 |title=Life and times of a diplomat in Fiji |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2022/Apr/02/life-and-times-of-a-diplomat-in-fiji-2436631.html |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Singh was born on 15 August 1950 in a [[Jats|Chahar Jat]] family in village Jaingara, tehsil [[Kiraoli]], [[Agra|Agra, Uttar Pradesh]]. His father Capt. [[Bhagwan Singh]] was an Indian [[diplomat]] and [[bureaucrat]] who served as [[Indian High Commissioner|Indian High commissioner]] to [[Fiji]]. He studied at [[Modern School (New Delhi)|Modern School, New Delhi]] before graduating in English (Hons) Literature from [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi|St Stephens College]] in 1971. In school, he was adjudged the "Best Sportsman of the Year (1967) and captained the school hockey, swimming and [[water polo]] teams. He captained the college as well as the university swimming and water polo teams, participating in inter-state and inter-university championships from 1965 to 1971.

He did his post graduate studies at the School of Journalism, [[University of Canterbury]], Christchurch, New Zealand in 1974 and later worked as publicity and promotions officer with Television One, Avalon, [[Lower Hutt]], in Wellington. He returned to Fiji as senior sub editor with The [[Fiji Times]] before coming back to India after five years at the end of December 1976.

==Career==
From 1977 to 1980, he worked as assistant editor at Surya India (a monthly magazine), news editor at [[India Today]] and deputy editor in charge of the Morning Echo (an English language tabloid daily of [[Hindustan Times|The Hindustan Times]] group).

In 1980 he took over as managing trustee of the Kisan Trust and editor-in chief of its publications: Asli Bharat (Hindi Weekly newspaper), Asli Bharat (Urdu weekly magazine) and Real India (English weekly magazine). These journals were opposition papers espousing the cause of rural India, hence their names. The Hindi weekly newspaper (later converted into a monthly magazine) won a wide and devoted readership, particularly in rural areas of the Hindi heartland. As a monthly, it was acclaimed as one of the leaders in "alternative" journalism as opposed to the "mainstream".<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Ajay |date=2022-04-16 |title='You as Editor will be respected by politicians' – Ajay Singh was told, he still quit media |url=https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/you-as-editor-will-be-respected-by-politicians-ajay-singh-was-told-he-still-quit-media/917677/ |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>

As managing trustee of the Kisan Trust, he worked closely with veteran Socialist leaders [[Madhu Limaye]] and [[George Fernandes]], Shri [[Biju Patnaik]], [[Karpoori Thakur]] and [[Mulayam Singh Yadav]]. His close colleagues included [[Sharad Yadav]], [[Ram Vilas Paswan]]. They were all trustees of the trust and its chairman was [[Charan Singh|Chaudhary Charan Singh]]. After Charan Singh's death in 1987, all the veteran leaders unanimously elected him chairman in his place.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

He was elected to the [[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council]] unopposed in 1986. In 1989 he won the [[Lok Sabha]] seat from [[Agra Lok Sabha constituency|Agra]] defeating a family that had held the seat since Independence. He served as Union Deputy Minister for Railways in [[V. P. Singh ministry|V. P. Singh Government]].<ref name=":1" />

He later served as Chairman of the [[Centre for Cultural Resources and Training]] (CCRT), an autonomous body with the [[Ministry of Human Resource Development|Human Resources Ministry]]. Later as chairman, Governing Body of the [[Sri Aurobindo College]], Delhi University.

In 2005 he was appointed [[Indian High Commissioner|India's High Commissioner]] to [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]], [[Tonga]], [[Tuvalu]] and [[Cook Islands]] by [[Indian National Congress]] government. He served there until June 2007. His father had held the same post thirty years earlier.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Shri Ajay Singh concurrently accredited High Commissioner of India to Tuvalu.ex.member of parliament(rajya sabha) |url=http://meaindia.nic.in/pressrelease/2005/07/14pr02.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226050050/http://meaindia.nic.in/pressrelease/2005/07/14pr02.htm |archivedate=26 December 2005}}</ref>

He briefly served as president of All India [[Jat Mahasabha]] from 30 March 2013 to 12 May 2013.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Ajay}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to Fiji]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to Nauru]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in Fiji]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:People from Agra district]]
[[Category:University of Canterbury alumni]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]
[[Category:India MPs 1989–1991]]
[[Category:Union ministers of state of India]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Janata Dal politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians from Agra]]

Ajay Singh Chahar - Revision history

MichaleFlint91 at 09:23, 1 May 2026