title: Dr. Balbir Singh
text: # Dr. Balbir Singh
  
  Balbir Singh is an Indian politician from Punjab, who belongs to Aam Aadmi Party. He has taken the oath of cabinet minister of Punjab and given the portfolio of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research and Elections on 7th January 2023.
  
  ## Early life
  
  Before entering politics, he retired as Associate Professor and is presently working as an Eye Surgeon at Patiala. He did his MBBS from Punjab University, Chandigarh in the year of 1979.
  
  He also participated, at the young age, in JP Movement in 1974 and in 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement. Before 2014 Indian general election he joined Aam Aadmi Party.
  
  ## Political career
  
  He served as the caretaker Convener of Aam Aadmi Party of Punjab after Party’s National Convener Arvind Kejriwal's apology from Bikram Singh Majithia. After the apology, both the Convener and Co-Convener of Party, Bhagwant Mann and Aman Arora respectively, resigned from their posts. Upon this, Balbir Singh was appointed the Co-convener and caretaker Convener of Party’s Punjab unit.
  
  In 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, Party announced him as candidate against Amarinder Singh from Patiala Rural Assembly constituency but he lost and stood at second place with more than 20,000 votes.
  
  ## Member of Legislative Assembly
  
  He represents the Patiala Rural Assembly constituency as MLA in Punjab Assembly. The Aam Aadmi Party gained a strong 79% majority in the sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly by winning 92 out of 117 seats in the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election. MP Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as Chief Minister on 16 March 2022.
  
  ### Committee assignments of Punjab Legislative Assembly
  
  * Member (2022–23) Committee on Privileges
  * Member (2022–23) Committee on Local Bodies
  
  ## Electoral performance
  
  Punjab Assembly election, 2017: Patiala :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | INC | Amarinder Singh | 72,586 | 68.98 |
  | | AAAP | Dr. Balbir Singh | 20,179 | 19.18 |
  | | SAD | Gen J.J. Singh | 11,677 | 11.1 |
  | | HSS | Kshama Kant Pandey | 291 | 0.28 |
  | | NOTA | None of the above | 1,090 | 1.04 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 52,407 | 49.31 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,06,436 | 67.00 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 158,855 | |
  | | INC hold | INC hold | Swing | |
  
  Punjab Assembly election, 2022: Patiala Rural :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | AAAP | Dr. Balbir Singh | 77155 | 52.05 |
  | | INC | Mohit Mohindra | | |
  | | | TBD | | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 53474 | 36.08 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | |
  