Phunchog Rai (born 19 February 1944; also spelled as 'Phuntsok Rai') is a politician from Himachal Pradesh, India, and a member of the Indian National Congress Party.
Phunchog Rai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Health and Family Planning, Government of Himachal Pradesh (1993-98) Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of Himachal Pradesh (1993-98) MLA from Lahaul and Spiti assembly constituency (1990-92) | |
| Constituency | Lahaul and Spiti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 February 1944 Lari village, Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Political party |  Indian National Congress |
| Alma mater | Punjab University |
| Occupation | Politician |
Personal life and education edit
Rai hails from village Lari in the Spiti valley.[1][2] He matriculated from the Government High School in Manali in 1965, and did graduation from Punjab University at Chandigarh.[1] The former IAS officer Deepak Sanan mentions Rai's father, Dorje Chhering, as an authority on the routes, water sources, and lifestyle of Spiti.[3]
Political career edit
Rai served as an elected representative in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Lahaul and Spiti assembly constituency from 1990 to 1998. In 1990, he was elected as an MLA, during the second tenure of Shanta Kumar as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (1990-1992).
Rai was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1993, this time under the second tenure of Virbhadra Singh as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (1993-1998). In this period, he served as a cabinet minister.[4] As minister, Rai held two portfolios, those of Tribal Affairs and Health and Family Planning.[5][6]
In the 11th Legislative Assembly Elections of Himachal Pradesh held in 2007, Rai lost against Dr. Ram Lal Markanda for the Lahaul and Spiti seat.[7]
Other works edit
- Rai has been on the Expert Advisory Committee for the development of Buddhist/Tibetan culture and art in the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.[8]
- In 1996, Rai was present as a minister at the 1,000th anniversary of the Tabo monastery in Spiti, whereat the 14th Dalai Lama also delivered Kalachakra teachings and initiations.[9]
- Rai wrote the foreword to the book Tribal Melodies of Himachal Pradesh by Manorama Sharma (1998).[10]
- The 'Presidential Address' Rai delivered at a seminar on petroglyphs in the Spiti valley has been published in the book Rediscovering Spiti: a Historical and Archaeological Study (2017).[11][12]
Electoral performance edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Dr. Ram Lal Markanda | 9,117 | 54.16% |  42.41
| |
| INC | Phunchog Rai | 6,951 | 41.30% |  15.40
| |
| BSP | Bir Singh | 726 | 4.31% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 2,166 | 12.87% | 15.71
| ||
| Turnout | 16,832 | 73.80% | 3.90
| ||
| Registered electors | 22,809 | 6.23
| |||
| BJP gain from INC | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Phunchog Rai | 6,509 | 55.44% | 4.89
| |
| BJP | Hishe Dogia | 5,067 | 43.16% | 3.83
| |
| Independent | Shiv Chand Thakur | 164 | 1.40% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 1,442 | 12.28% | 1.05
| ||
| Turnout | 11,740 | 63.06% | 8.76
| ||
| Registered electors | 18,784 | 3.58
| |||
| INC hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Phunchog Rai | 6,533 | 50.55% | 45.76
| |
| BJP | Hishe Dogia | 5,082 | 39.33% | New | |
| CPI(M) | Amar Singh | 1,254 | 9.70% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 1,451 | 11.23% | 81.40
| ||
| Turnout | 12,923 | 72.04% | 12.11
| ||
| Registered electors | 18,134 | 19.50
| |||
| INC hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | Thakur Devi Singh | 5,649 | 76.26% | New | |
| Independent | Shiv Chand Thakur | 1,548 | 20.90% | New | |
| Independent | Phunchog Rai | 211 | 2.85% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 4,101 | 55.36% | 44.16
| ||
| Turnout | 7,408 | 55.53% | 24.37
| ||
| Registered electors | 13,759 | 11.82
| |||
| JP gain from INC | Swing | 20.65
|
|||
References edit
- ^ a b "Affidavit to be furnished by the candidate before the returning officer for election to the Vidhan Sabha". myneta.info. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Preliminary Exploration at Lari Village: A Petroglyph Site in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India" (PDF). Kalakalpa. V (1): 177. 2020.
- ^ Sanan, Deepak; Swadi, Dhanu (1998). Exploring Kinnaur and Spiti in the Trans-Himalaya. New Delhi: Indus Publishing Company. p. 7.
- ^ "Election results". Election Commission of India, New Delhi.
- ^ Banach, Benti (2010). A Village Called Self-Awareness, Life and Times in the Spiti Valley. Kathmandu: Vajra Publications. p. 94.
- ^ "Purv mantri ke ganv mein abhi bhi mobile signal nahi". Khabar Himachal. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Himachal Pradesh election results".
- ^ "Expert Advisory Committee" (PDF). 14 August 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Per l 1000 anni del monastero di Taboo" (PDF). 1996. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Sharma, Manorma (1998). Tribal Melodies of Himachal Pradesh: Gaddi folk music. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7024-912-2.
- ^ Service, Tribune News. "A journey to Spiti and Sutlej biosphere". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Chauhan, Hari (2017). Rediscovering Spiti: A Historical and Archaeological Study. Himachal State Museum, Department of Language & Culture, Himachal Pradesh. ISBN 978-93-5279-899-5.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1993 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 11 January 2012.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1990 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 14 January 2012.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1977 to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 19 March 2016.
