Anand Singh

Raja Anand Singh (4 January 1939 – 6 July 2025) was an Indian politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament to the 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Lok Sabha from the Gonda constituency. He was also a Member of Legislative Assembly and Agriculture Minister for the Government of Uttar Pradesh led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in his ministry from 2012 to 2017.

Born into the royal family of Mankapur state, Raja Anand Singh's political journey began with his victory in the 1971 elections, where he represented the Congress Syndicate faction against his uncle, who was backed by the Congress Indicate (I).

Singh was until his death the President of the British India Association Awadh and the President of the Raghvendra Rural Development and Research Organisation (RRDRO). He was the son of Raja Raghvendra Pratap Singh, and the grandson of Raja Raghuraj Singh. He was married to Veena Singh, the daughter of ex. Rajya Sabha MP Bindumati Devi. Anand Singh was the father of the current Member of Parliament and Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh.

He gained attention for his controversial decision to restrict inquiries into complaints against officials within his department without his prior approval. This decision came in the wake of a significant scam involving approximately Rs 59 crore, which was uncovered through a departmental inquiry. Despite facing criticism and discontent from within his own ranks, including from his deputy, Manoj Pandey, Singh defended his actions by asserting the need to verify the authenticity of complaints before initiating inquiries, which eventually turned out to be honest and beneficial decision, stopping any biased suspensions or terminations of officials in his department unlawfully.

In 2021, he made the headlines yet again before the UP Vidhan Sabha elections, for writing a strongly worded letter to JP Nadda regarding the ticket of Gaura MLA Patel Prabhat Verma, stating the BJP should reconsider giving the ticket to this MLA, as Singh himself being a retired MLA from Gaura, heard tales of the woes of the people under the rule of Prabhat Verma every day and could not stand them. He threatened to put an end to his political exile and contest from the Gaura seat again, should BJP give the ticket to Verma. But the matter was resolved in a few weeks' time.

Singh died from suspected heart failure in Lucknow, on 5 July 2025, at the age of 86.