Umadhar Singh

Umadhar Prasad Singh (1938–2014, ) was an Indian communist politician. Singh was a leader of the student movement in Bihar, and played a role in building the Naxalite movement in the state. He was imprisoned for eight years. After his release he was elected twice to the Bihar Legislative Assembly.

Childhood Singh was born on 21 December 1938 in Sighwara village, Darbhanga district. He grew up in a peasant household. His elder brother Shri Ganga Prasad Singh was a socialist leader.

Student movement Singh obtained a BA (Honours) in Economics at CM College in Darbhanga, later obtaining a MA degree in the same subject at Bihar University in Muzaffarpur. On 2 October 1969 a prominent landlord in Darbhaga, B.P. Balani, was killed in broad daylight. B.P. Balani was a socialist, known for his anti-Naxalite stand. Another union founded by Singh was the Metia Palledar Thela Kamgar Union. Singh stood as a candidate of Satyanarayan Singh's CPI(ML) in the election.

APM closure In 1982 the Ashok Paper Mill was closed down, and Singh initiated a long campaign for its reopening for over 30 years. He finished in first place amongst 22 candidates, obtaining 13,539 votes (21.30%). Soon after the election, Singh's party merged into the Communist Organisation of India (Marxist–Leninist) (COI(ML)).

In CPI(ML) New Democracy In 1992 Singh became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) New Democracy (CPI(ML) ND).

In the 2000 Bihar Legislative Assembly election Singh regained the Hayaghat seat.

Singh lost the Hayaghat seat in the February 2005 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. He finished in third place with 14,215 votes. In the subsequent October 2005 Bihar Legislative Assembly election Singh again finished in third place, this time obtaining 13,467 votes. In the 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election Singh finished in sixth place in the Hayaghat constituency. He obtained 4,239 votes (4.66%).

Death In old age, Singh suffered from diabetes as well as lung and cardiac ailments. On 16 June 2014 Singh suffered a heart attack. The following day he was brought to Patna, where he was hospitalised. He died on 18 June 2014.

His body was shifted to the Bihar Legislative Assembly, where a state funeral service was organised. Participants in the funeral included the Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and the Speaker of the Assembly Uday Narayan Chaudhary.