Archive · 6 Aug 2026
BSP's lone Uttar Pradesh MLA Umashankar Singh dies at 55
A very important politician in India has died.
His name was Umashankar Singh and he was 55 years old.
He worked in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, which is the place where leaders make laws for a big state in India.
He was the only lawmaker from his political party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, in that whole assembly.
He had been sick for a long time with a brain tumour, and one report said he had been fighting cancer and getting treatment in Delhi and abroad.
He died on Wednesday evening in a hospital in Delhi, a big city in India.
Many leaders were very sad and said kind things about him, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP leader Mayawati.
Singh first became a lawmaker in 2012 and won the same seat again in 2017 and 2022.
Because he was the only BSP lawmaker, the party now has no one in the assembly until a new election is held.
Umashankar Singh, the Bahujan Samaj Party's lone MLA in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, died at 55 after a prolonged illness.
He died at around 8.30 pm on Wednesday at a private hospital in Delhi while undergoing treatment for a brain tumour; one report described his death as the end of a prolonged battle with cancer.
A three-time MLA from Ballia's Rasra constituency, he first won the seat in 2012 and retained it in 2017 and 2022, defeating Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party candidate Mahendra Chauhan by 6,583 votes in 2022.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called his death 'extremely heartbreaking', while BSP chief Mayawati praised his dedication, honesty and loyalty and assured his family of the party's full support.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also offered condolences; Singh began public life as a student leader in Ballia in 1990-91, and his death leaves the BSP without Assembly representation until a by-election.
- Who
- Umashankar Singh (also written Uma Shankar Singh), the Bahujan Samaj Party's lone MLA in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly
- What
- Died at the age of 55 after a prolonged illness while undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, described in one report as a prolonged battle with cancer
- When
- Wednesday evening, at around 8.30 pm
- Where
- At a private hospital in Delhi; he represented the Rasra constituency (referred to as 'Rasda' in the Chief Minister's post) in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh
- Why
- He had been undergoing treatment for a brain tumour in Delhi and abroad over the past two years and succumbed to his prolonged illness
- Deceased
- Umashankar Singh (also written Uma Shankar Singh), BSP MLA from Rasra
- Age at death
- 55
- Party
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - the party's lone MLA in the 403-member UP Assembly
- Constituency
- Rasra, Ballia district, eastern Uttar Pradesh (called 'Rasda' in CM Adityanath's post)
- Cause of death
- Prolonged illness; undergoing treatment for a brain tumour (one report: prolonged battle with cancer, with treatment in Delhi and abroad over the past two years)
- Place and time of death
- Private hospital in Delhi, around 8.30 pm on Wednesday
- Election history
- Three-time MLA - first elected 2012, re-elected 2017 and 2022; in 2022, won by 6,583 votes against SBSP's Mahendra Chauhan, with BJP's Babban Rajbhar third
- Leaders who condoled
- CM Yogi Adityanath, BSP chief Mayawati, SP president Akhilesh Yadav
