Pratibha crowns four-and-a-half-decade-long distinguished career

New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) Widely considered as a loyalist of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the UPA-Left Presidential candidate, has a rich and varied political career, both at the state and national levels.

In a career spanning over four decades, Ms Patil has handled some of the most sensitive political assignments including installation of the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra as Pradesh Committee chief.

Currently the Governor of Rajasthan -- and the only woman governor in the country, Mrs Patil (72) began her public career as a lawyer in her native Jalgaon before being elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1962. In that year -- when the Chinese aggression occurred -- she organised the Women Home Guard detachment in the district and was its Commandant.

A five-time MLA till 1985, she was inducted in the Vasantrao Naik ministry after the 1967 elections, holding the portfolios of Public Health, Prohibition, Tourism, Housing&Parliamentary Affairs as Deputy Minister. After the next elections, she was elevated to Cabinet rank and given charge of Social Welfare, holding it till 1974, when she was given charge of Public Health Department too.

In the Shankar Rao Chavan and Vasantdada Patil governments, she continued in the ministry, holding charge of Prohibition, Rehabilitation and Cultural Affairs (1975-76) and Education (1977-78).

When the Congress lost power in the 1978 elections, Ms Patil served as Leader of Opposition in the state assembly between July, 1979 to February, 1980.

When the Congress came back to power in 1980, Ms Patil was not inducted into the A R Antulay government but served in the Babasaheb Bhosale and Vasantdada Patil cabinets, holding charge of Urban Development and Housing (1982-85) and Civil Supplies and Social Welfare Cabinet Minister (1983-85).

In 1985, she made her first foray into national politics, being elected to the Rajya Sabha and serving till 1990. She also was the Deputy Chairperson of the Upper House from November 1986 to November 1988. She also headed the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee from 1988 to 1990.

Mrs Patil was also elected to the 10th Lok Sabha in the 1991 General Elections and was the Chairperson of the House Committee.

She also attended the World Womens Conference at Beijing in 1995 and spoke on behalf of the delegation.

After 1996, Ms Patil was not much politically active until the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government appointed her Governor of Rajasthan in November 2004.

Born in Jalgaon on December 19, 1934, Ms Patil studied at the M J College there and Government Law College, Mumbai. She married Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat in July 1965 and has a son and a daughter.

Holding an abiding interest in woman's rights, she was leader of the Indian delegation to Austria on Status of Women Conference as well as attended the Beijing conference.

Ms Patil is also the Director of National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks&Credit Societies and a member of the Governing Council of National Co-operatives Union.

UNI