India-born Singaporean politician calls it quits

An India-born Singaporean member of parliament has decided against contesting the upcoming general elections, the media reported on Saturday.

Following the release of the Electoral Boundary Review Committee's report on Friday, Inderjit Singh posted on Facebook that he would be stepping down.

He thanked the people of Kebun Baru area in central Singapore for their consistent support.

"I did my best to serve them and this would not have been possible without my team, the grassroots leaders and branch activists at Kebun Baru who have become my extended family," Channel News Asia cited Singh as saying.

"I urge the residents at Kebun Baru to continue supporting the team which will be helmed by my successor. To Kebun Baru, Ang Mo Kio and everyone there, you will always be in my heart," the 55-year-old veteran wrote on Facebook.

Singh, along with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, served the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 1996.

Born in Punjab, Singh attended Kaki Bukit Primary School in Singapore and earned Bachelor's of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) degree from Nanyang Technological University in 1985.

During this period, Singh became the first chairperson of the students' union council.

He became an active grassroots leader in 1984 and a member of Parliament for the Kebun Baru ward in the 1996 general elections under the governing People's Action Party banner.

From 1985, Singh worked as an engineer for 13 years. After the stint, Singh began a career in entrepreneurship. Later, he founded the United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC), a semiconductor firm, in 1998.