Hailing from a family of farmers, Singh was elected as member of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly between 1990-98. He has also represented Rajnandgaon constituency of Chhattisgarh in Lok Sabha in 1999.
A former Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Singh has defeated Congress' veteran leader Motilal Vora by a margin of 26,715 votes in 1999 General Elections.
Singh, on whom BJP relies heavily for its image in the state, was later selected as president of the state unit of the party after formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000. He practiced Ayurvedic Medicine in his hometown Kawardha after completing the course.
His simplicity, openness and commitment to serve had made him quite popular among the locals.