Eight-time Duddhi MLA Vijay Singh Gond passes away

Sonbhadra (UP), Jan 8 (PTI) Samajwadi party MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Duddhi Assembly constituency and senior tribal leader Vijay Singh Gond died in a Lucknow hospital on Thursday following prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 71.

Gond was undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow for kidney-related issues.

“Vijay Singh Gond was unwell for a long time and was under treatment in Lucknow. His demise is an irreparable loss to the region and the tribal community,” Samajwadi Party Duddhi Assembly constituency president Avadh Narayan Yadav said.

Gond was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in the 2024 bypoll from Duddhi as the SP candidate. The by-election was necessitated after the then MLA Ramdular Gond was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in a case related to the rape of a minor.

Beginning his political career in 1980, Gond was first elected as a Congress MLA from Duddhi.He went on to win from the constituency in 1985 on a Congress ticket, as an Independent in 1989, and later represented the Janata Dal in 1991 and 1993. He secured victories on the Samajwadi Party ticket in 1996 and 2002.

During the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government, he held the status of a minister of state.

Widely regarded as a prominent tribal leader at both district and state levels, Gond was known for consistently raising issues related to the welfare and rights of tribal communities. He was also seen as a grassroots leader with deep connection to the people of the region.

Yadav said Gond’s mortal remains were expected to reach Duddhi by Thursday evening and the last rites would be performed on the banks of the Kandhar river in Duddhi.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and other senior leaders have condoled the death of Gond. PTI COR ABN ABN DV DV