- Shekhar, Chandra
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▪ 2008Indian politicianborn July 1, 1927, Ibrahimpatti, Uttar Pradesh, British Indiadied July 8, 2007, New Delhi, Indiaserved as prime minister of India from November 1990 to June 1991. Shekhar received a master's degree in political science from Allahabad University. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) from 1962 to 1967—as a leading member of the Socialist Party before he joined the ruling Congress Party in 1964—and he held a seat in the Lok Sabha (lower house) during 1977–84 and from 1989. He split with the leader of the Congress Party, Indira Gandhi, in 1975 and spent time in prison during the national emergency she subsequently declared. In 1977 Shekhar became president of the new Janata Party, which headed a coalition government (1977–79) under Prime Minister Morarji Desai. In 1988 Shekhar's party merged with several other opposition parties to form the Janata Dal Party (JDP) under the leadership of V.P. Singh, who took power when the JDP defeated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's Congress (I) Party in elections the next year. After leading an internal rebellion against Singh, Shekhar broke with the JDP on Nov. 5, 1990, and quickly formed the Janata Dal–Socialist faction. With the support of Congress (I), he replaced Singh as prime minister on Nov. 10, 1990, as head of a weak minority government, but he resigned on March 6, 1991, after Congress (I) withdrew its support. He remained in office as a caretaker until Congress (I) regained a majority in parliamentary elections in May and June. Shekhar continued to be active in politics, and in 2004 he was elected to his eighth term in the Lok Sabha.
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Universalium. 2010.
