Bihar-born Abhay Kumar Singh, a medical graduate from Russia, joined President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party in 2015. He became the first Indian-origin lawmaker in Russia after winning an election in 2017. Speaking to India Today TV, he recalled how he infused Indian-style campaigning into Russian elections, which helped him secure a record-margin victory.
In 1991, when Abhay Kumar left Patna to study medicine in Russia, he never imagined he would one day become a lawmaker in a foreign land. Today, the Bihar-born Kumar serves as a Deputat in the Kursk city legislature, a role equivalent to an MLA in India.
Days before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tenth state visit to India, Abhay Kumar Singh hailed Russia-made India’s S-400 batteries as “a very good missile system”. He, however, urged India to acquire the advanced S-500 missile system.
“S-400 is a very good missile system. But the S-500 is the latest technology, and it is being used in Russia only. Russia is not giving it to any other country. If Russia decides to supply it to India, India will become the first country to get it. Even China hasn’t got this system,” Singh, who also won his second election in 2022, said.
So, who is Abhay Kumar Singh, the boy from Patna who went on to become an MLA in Russia and a member of Putin’s party.
HOW ABHAY KUMAR SINGH, MEDICINE STUDENT FROM PATNA, GET INTO RUSSIAN POLITICS?
Abhay Kumar Singh is a native of Bihar’s Patna, and did his schooling at Loyola High School. In Russia, he completed his graduation from Kursk State Medical University in Russia.
After the course’s completion, he returned to Patna to practice as a registered doctor. But he soon went back to Russia to start a pharmaceutical business, later expanding into real estate and construction.
Soon, the Patna boy became a known business personality in Kursk, overcoming all the obstacles being a non-white foreigner he found on his way.
He joined politics in 2015 and contested the polls for the first time in 2017.
HOW SINGH JOINED PUTIN’S PARTY, TOOK BIHAR TO RUSSIA
Singh’s foray into politics began when he joined the United Russia party, the ruling party of Putin, in 2015.
Just two years later, in 2017, he contested and won a seat in the Kursk city assembly as a “deputat”, becoming the first Indian-origin lawmaker elected to public office in Russia.
Speaking to India Today TV, Abhay Kumar Singh recalled his political journey and how he blended Indian politics into Russian elections.
“Politics has always been a part of me. You know, even school children in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh talk about politics and understand it. I joined politics in 2015 after being inspired by Putin,” he said.
Speaking about Russian politicians, he said that in Russia, lawmakers do not interact with people. However, when he first contested elections in 2017, he decided to add an Indian political ‘tadka’ to the Russian elections.
“In Russia, MLAs and MPs do not stay in touch with the people. We brought a tadka of Indian politics to the Russian elections. We held many public meetings and interacted with the local people. In return, they ensured I won with record numbers,” Singh, who represents Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, told India Today TV.
According to a 2023 report in The Week, Kursk elected Singh as the “first Indian-origin lawmaker not once but twice”, in 2017 and 2022.
Singh also noted Russia’s growing openness to Indian skilled and semi-skilled workers, while claiming Western countries, especially the US, are tightening long-term stay opportunities for Indians.
