Pranab Mukherjee was today(22.07.2012) elected as the 13th President, marking a new journey for the veteran Congress leader after over four decades of life in active politics. Mukherjee, UPA nominee, got 5,64,469 vote value, well beyond the half-way mark of 5,25,140 in an electoral college of over 10.5 lakh when counting of votes polled by the MPs and MLAs of 20 of the 30 states was completed.
Shri Pranab Mukherjee, son of Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi Mukherjee, born on 11th December, 1935 in a small village, Mirati of Birbhum District in West Bengal. He married Suvra Mukherjee on July 13, 1957 and has two sons and a daughter.Born-11 December 1935 (age 76)
Mirati, British Raj
(now India)
Political party-Indian National Congress (Before 1986; 1989–present)
Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress (1986–1989)
Spouse(s) -Suvra Mukherjee
Alma mater-University of Calcutta
Religion-Hinduism
Kamada K Mukherjee was a respected freedom fighter spent more than 10 years in British jails. Pranab’s father was an active member of Indian National Congress and was also a member of West Bengal Legislative Council from 1952 to 1964. So, it was quite obvious that K K Mukherjee’s son Shri Pranab Mukherjee would join active politics following his father’s foot-steps, after brief career in academic world (after obtaining masters degree in Political Science and History and degree of Law from Calcutta University, he joined as a professor in a college of Birbhum District of West Bengal).Shri Pranab Mukherjee’s parliamentary career begun as a Rajya Sabha member from Congress Party in 1969. Thereafter, he re-elected in 1975, 1981, 1993, and 1999. His ministerial career begun in 1973 as the Deputy Minister, Industrial Development. After that he hardly looked back. When he was the Finance Minister of India during 1982 to 1984, Euromoney Magazine rated him as the best Finance Minister of the world. Thereafter, barring a brief period, Shri Mukherjee, served the country as a cabinet Minister, more or less in every National Congress Ministry, At present, he is the External Affairs Mnister of Dr.Manmohan Singh’s cabinet and as a senior member of the Ministry, he is consulted by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh before taking any major decision regarding welfare of the country and his valuable comments and suggestions made him practically indispensable.
List of Presidents of India