Lucknow, Mar 25 (PTI) An influential OBC leader and currently the state BJP president, Swatantra Dev Singh was named Congress Singh by his parents.

Born on February 13, 1964 in a village of Mirzapur district, he changed his name after joining the BJP.

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Singh, who belongs to the backward Kurmi caste and played a crucial role in paving the way for the party's second consecutive win in the UP Assembly polls, was elevated to the post of the state BJP chief in 2019.

Singh had started his career as a reporter for a Hindi daily in 1986.

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He was made a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led previous government and earlier held various positions in the party, including that of its state vice-president and general secretary.

He also held the post of the the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

At present, Singh is a member of the state Legislative Council and had played a crucial role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 and 2017 election rallies in UP.

Singh holds BSc degree from Bundelkhand University.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)