Raninder Singh (born 2 August 1967) is an Indian politician and sports administrator from Punjab, India, and son of former Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh.[1] He is the titular heir to the historical royal Phulkian dynasty of Patiala.
Raninder Singh | |
|---|---|
| President of the National Rifle Association of India | |
| In office 29 December 2009 – 21 September 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Digvijay Singh Avtar Singh Sethi (Interim President) |
| Succeeded by | Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo |
| Vice President of the International Shooting Sport Federation | |
| In office 1 December 2018 – 30 November 2022 | |
| President | Vladimir Lisin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 August 1967 Patiala, Punjab, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Other political affiliations | Punjab Lok Congress Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Rishma Kaur (m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Residence | Patiala |
Pretender information | |
| Title(s) | Yuvraj of Patiala |
| Pretend from | 17 June 1974–present |
| Monarchy abolished | Sovereign monarchy 1947 (Instrument of Accession) Titular monarchy 1971 (26th Amendment of the Indian Constitution) |
| Predecessor | Amarinder Singh |
| Successor | Yadauindra Singh |
Early life and education
editBelonging to the former royal family of Patiala, Singh is the son of Amarinder Singh and Preneet Kaur. He has a sister Jai Inder Kaur. He attended Yadavindra Public School, Patiala and subsequently studied at The Doon School, Dehradun. He graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi and completed a master of business administration degree from Buckingham University, UK in 1990.[2]
Political career
editHe started his political career in late 1990s, by assisting with the election campaigns of his father and his mother, Preneet Kaur, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Patiala Lok Sabha constituency, having been elected four times as a candidate of the Indian National Congress in 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2019.[3]
Subsequently he joined the Youth Congress division of the party himself. In 2005, he was appointed General Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in 2005 and made in-charge of the Bathinda district. In the coming years, he worked in the region, and as a result he was credited for Congress winning the maximum seats in the Malwa region, in the State Assembly elections in India, 2007, while the party faced a rout in Majha and Doaba regions of Punjab.[2][4]
He unsuccessfully contested for Lok Sabha elections against Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the wife of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the 2009 Indian general election, from Bathinda, in a high-profile run up to the elections.[4][5] He lost in the 2012 Punjab Assembly elections in from the Samana constituency.[6]
Sports administration
editHe was appointed as the President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in December 2009. He won from his nearest rival Shyam Singh Yadav by a landslide majority. He has been an accomplished international level trap shooter himself.[7][8]
Singh was elected as one of the vice-presidents of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) in November 2018 and he was the first Indian to be elected as vice-president of the ISSF.[9] He served as one of the ISSF vice-presidents until November 2022.[10] Singh, along with others who lost in the 2022 ISSF presidential election, was reported as being seen as a supporter of the then ISSF president and Russian oligarch, Vladimir Lisin.[10]
Personal life and family
editHe married Rishma Kaur (née Dhingra), daughter of Kuldip Singh Dhingra, a co-owner of Berger Paints, and Meeta Dhingra in 1995, and the couple have one son, Yadauinder Singh (b. 2003), and two daughters, Seherinder Kaur (b.1996) and Inayatinder Kaur (b.1999).[11] In 2021, Seherinder married Aditya Narang, a businessman.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Is 'Yuvraj' Raninder heading Kaka Ji Sukhbir's way?". The Times of India. 16 September 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Raninder Singh- Bathinda Parliamentary Constituency (the son of Capt. Amarinder Singh )". Archived from the original on 8 November 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ "Patiala contestants 'satisfied' with campaign". Indian Express. 7 September 1999.
- ^ a b "It's Badals vs. Patiala royals in Punjab". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Ruling Singhs vs ousted Singhs in Punjab". CNN-IBN. 7 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009.
- ^ "Punjab assembly elections 2012: Prominent winners and losers". India Today. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Raninder Singh appointed NRAI president". The Times of India. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012.
- ^ "NRAI clarifies on Olympic selection". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 March 2012.
- ^ "Raninder Singh first Indian to be elected international shooting body's vice-president". The Indian Express. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Rossi defeats Vladimir Lisin to be elected new ISSF President". Inside the Games. 30 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ Berger Paint’s royal connection[usurped], 12 Sept 2013.
- ^ "Punjab CM Amarinder Singh sings 'Suhag' at granddaughter's wedding ceremony". The Tribune. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
External links
edit- General Election 2009 - Affidavits filed by Ranninder Singh Office of Chief Electoral Officer - Punjab