Satyanarayan Sinha

Early Life

Satyanarayan Sinha was born in July 1900 to a zamindari family in Bihar. He did his schooling at Muzaffarpur Zila School and later went on to receive a law degree from the Patna University.

Sinha grew up to be an agriculturalist and zamindar who later joined Bihar politics. He became a member of Bihar Legislative Council in 1926 and Member of Central Legislative Assembly in 1934. He was elected as the Congress Party’s Whip in the Central Assembly.

Role in India’s Independence Movement

Sinha was involved in India’s freedom struggle since the 1920s. He became a member of the Indian National Congress Party in 1924 and rose to various leadership positions within.

Contribution to Constitution Making

Sinha was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Bihar from a Congress party ticket. He was the Chief Whip of the Congress Assembly Party. Unlike the current parliamentary form of a three-line whip, the Assembly’s whip was a ‘mimeographed lists of provisions and amendments that were to be accepted or rejected’.

Later Contributions

Sinha was elected to the first three Lok Sabhas. He continued to serve as the Congress Party’s Chief Whip. During his tenure at the Lok Sabha, he held several portfolios including Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting (1963 to 1964) and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Communications (1964 to 1967).

He was appointed as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh between 1971 and 1977.