Ending his tenure of over five decades in active politics, Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday embarked on a new journey as the country’s 13th President.
The 76-year-old Congressman from West Bengal is renowned for his negotiation skills and till recently was the principal troubleshooter of the ruling UPA alliance over the last eight years. The seasoned politician will now bring to the top constitutional post his rich and varied experience, one which is likely to be of immense help post the next Lok Sabha polls scheduled for 2014, in the event of a fractured verdict.
The First Citizen of the country has been known for his vast knowledge, chronicler of Congress history, expert in matters of the Constitution and governance and a stickler for rules in Parliament.
Also known as “Poltu”, it has been a long journey for Mr Mukherjee, from a backward village in West Bengal, to the seat of power in Raisina Hill in the middle of Delhi’s capital complex. Mukherjee has been the perennial “No 2” in government since the days of Indira Gandhi, when he was the finance minister. He was also the external affairs minister in the 90s and has successfully shouldered the responsibility of heading several important ministries.
The rise has been steady ever since he became a Rajya Sabha member for the first time in 1969.
Mr Mukherjee was for a long time member of the Upper House before his first direct election to the Lok Sabha in 2004 from Jangipur in West Bengal. Mr Mukherjee repeated his victory in the 2009 elections but had expressed a desire not to contest elections again in view of his advancing age.