Former Uttar Pradesh minister Ram Govind Chaudhary cremated with state honours

Samajwadi Party veteran and former Uttar Pradesh minister Ram Govind Chaudhary was cremated with state honours in his native Ballia district on Sunday, with party leaders, workers and supporters attending his final rites. Chaudhary died on Friday while receiving treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow. His remains were taken to his residence in the district headquarters on Saturday evening, where people paid their respects before they were transported to his native village, Gosainpur, in the Sikanderpur area.

A large crowd gathered in Gosainpur from Sunday morning. Supporters joined a final procession, and Chaudhary received a guard of honour at his residence before the funeral began. His only son, Ranjit Chaudhary, lit the funeral pyre at a site near the banks of the Sarayu River.

Among those present were Samajwadi Party MPs Ramashankar Vidyarthi and Ram Bhuwal Nishad, former minister and legislators Om Prakash Singh and Ziauddin Rizvi, and legislators Sangram Singh Yadav and Jai Prakash Anchal. Legislative Council members Ravi Shankar Singh, known as Pappu, and Ashutosh Sinha also attended, alongside leaders from other political parties. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had paid his respects to Chaudhary’s remains in Lucknow.

At a condolence meeting at the party headquarters on Saturday, Yadav described Chaudhary as a lifelong campaigner for social justice who prioritised the interests of the people. Yadav also said Chaudhary had preserved socialist values and principles associated with Jayaprakash Narayan and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. Other party leaders also issued tributes after his death.

Chaudhary was born in Ballia on July 9, 1953. He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly eight times, served as a minister in the state government and was leader of the Opposition from March 2017 to March 2022.