Pratibha Patil served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She is the only woman in history to have held the office.
She was born on December 19, 1934 in Jalgaon, Maharashtra to Narayan Rao Patil and Gangabai Patil. Her mother died when she was 12 and she was brought up by a strict aunt named Baasaheb. She has a double MA in political science and economics and a degree in law from Government Law College, Bombay.
At the age of 27, she joined the Indian National Congress and became a member of the Maharashtra legislative assembly. She won her first election in 1962 contesting from the Edlabad constituency. She then handled the public health and social welfare portfolio in the Government of Maharashtra.
She is married to Dr Devisingh Shekhawat who is a professor and politician. She was appointed governor of Rajasthan in 2004. Patil became the 12th President of India after emerging as a compromise candidate and due to her unstinting loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family.
She commuted death sentences of 35 death penalty prisoners to ‘life’, which is a record. She faced some criticism over this but defended herself by asserting that she had come to these decisions after due consideration of the cases. She also faced criticism over taking family members on foreign trips.
While in office, she focused on improving women’s rights in the country and in solving the agrarian crisis.
Picture Credit : Google
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