Pranab Mukherjee

Pranab Kumar Mukherjee (Bengali: Praṇaba Kumāra Mukhārjī, pronounced [pɾɔnob kumaɾ mukʰaɾʤi] ; 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian politician who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and occupied several top ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, Mukherjee was Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012 also in 1982 to 1984. He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2019, by his successor as president, Ram Nath Kovind.

Mukherjee entered national politics in 1969, when Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, helped him get elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He became one of Gandhi's most trusted lieutenants and a minister in her cabinet in 1973. Mukherjee's service in a number of ministerial capacities culminated in his first stint as Finance Minister of India from 1982 to 1984. He was also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985.