Pratibha Patil - Wikipedia Pratibha Patil Her Excellency Pratibha Patil प्रतिभा पाटिल 12th President of India In office 25 July 2007 -- 25 July 2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari Preceded by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Succeeded by Pranab Mukherjee Governor of Rajasthan In office 8 November 2004 -- 23 June 2007 Preceded by Madan Lal Khurana Succeeded by Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai Personal details Pratibha Devisingh Patil ( 1934 - 12 - 19 ) 19 December 1934 ( age 82 ) Nadgaon, Bombay Presidency, British India ( now in Maharashtra, India ) Political party Indian National Congress Other political affiliations United Progressive Alliance Spouse ( s ) Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat ( 1965 -- present ) Alma mater Pune University University of Mumbai Website www.pratibhapatil.info Pratibha Devisingh Patil ( pronunciation ( help info ) ) ( born 19 December 1934 ) is an Indian politician who served as the 12th President of India from 2007 to 2012. A member of the Indian National Congress, Patil is the only woman to hold the office. She previously served as the Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007. Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Presidency 3.1 Election 3.2 In office 4 Business interests 5 Positions held 6 References 7 External links Early life Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the daughter of Narayan Rao Patil. She was born on 19 December 1934 in the village of Nadgaon, in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, India. She was educated initially at R.R. Vidyalaya, Jalgaon, and subsequently was awarded a master 's degree in Political Science and Economics by Mooljee Jetha College, Jalgaon ( then under Pune University ), and then a Bachelor of Law degree by Government Law College, Mumbai, affiliated to the University of Mumbai. Patil then began to practice law at the Jalgaon District Court, while also taking interest in social issues such as improving the conditions faced by Indian women. Patil married Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat on 7 July 1965. The couple have a daughter and a son, Raosaheb Shekhawat, who is also a politician. Political career The BBC has described Patil 's political career prior to assuming presidential office as `` long and largely low - key ''. In 1962, at the age of 27, she was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the Jalgaon constituency. Thereafter she won in the Muktainagar ( formerly Edlabad ) constituency on four consecutive occasions between 1967 and 1985, before becoming a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha between 1985 and 1990. In the 1991 elections for the 10th Lok Sabha, she was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Amravati constituency. A period of retirement from politics followed later in that decade. Patil had held various Cabinet portfolios during her period in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and she had also held official positions while in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. In addition, she had been for some years the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee and also held office as Director of the National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks and Credit Societies and as a Member of the Governing Council of the National Co-operative Union of India. On 8 November 2004 she was appointed as the 24th Governor of Rajasthan, the first woman to hold that office and according to the BBC was `` a low - profile '' incumbent. Presidency President Patil speaking at the Doon School 's Platinum Jubilee in October 2010. Election Main article : Indian presidential election, 2007 Patil was announced as the United Progressive Alliance ( UPA ) candidate on 14 June 2007. She emerged as a compromise candidate after the left - wing parties of the alliance would not agree to the nomination of former Home Minister Shivraj Patil or Karan Singh. Patil had been loyal to the INC and the Nehru - Gandhi family for decades and this was considered to be a significant factor in her selection by INC leader Sonia Gandhi, although Patil said that she had no intention of being a `` rubber - stamp president ''. In the same month that she was selected, Patil was accused of shielding her brother, G.N. Patil, in the 2005 Vishram Patil murder case. Vishram Patil had narrowly defeated G.N. Patil in an election to be the President of the District Congress Committee of Jalgaon and in September of that year had been murdered. Vishram Patil 's widow eventually accused G.N. Patil of involvement in the crime and claimed that Pratibha Patil had influenced the criminal investigation and that the issue needed to be examined before presidential immunity became active. Her accusations were rejected by the courts in 2009 but in 2015 G.N. Patil was charged. No reference to the alleged involvement of Pratibha Patil was made at this time. Due to the presidential role being largely a figurehead position, the selection of candidate is often arranged by consensus among the various political parties and the candidate runs unopposed. Contrary to the normal pattern of events, Patil faced a challenge in the election. The BBC described the situation as `` the latest casualty of the country 's increasingly partisan politics and ( it ) highlights what is widely seen as an acute crisis of leadership ''. It `` degenerated into unseemly mud slinging between the ruling party and the opposition ''. Her challenger was Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the incumbent vice-president and a Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) veteran. Shekhawat stood as an independent candidate and was supported by the National Democratic Alliance ( NDA ), a group led by the BJP, although the Shiv Sena party, which was a part of NDA, supported her because of her Marathi origin. Those opposed to Patil becoming president claimed that she lacked charisma, experience and ability. They also highlighted her time spent away from high - level politics and queried her belief in the supernatural, such as her claim to have received a message from Dada Lekhraj, a dead guru. Various specific issues were raised, such as a comment made by her in 1975 that those suffering from hereditary diseases should be sterilised. Another alleged that while a Member of Parliament for Amravati she diverted Rs 3.6 million from her MPLADS fund to a trust run by her husband. This was in violation of Government rules which barred MPs from providing funds to organisations run by their relatives. The parliamentary affairs minister denied any wrongdoing on Patil 's part, and noted that the funds utilized under MPLADS are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Patil won the election held on 19 July 2007. She garnered nearly two - thirds of the votes and took office as India 's first woman president on 25 July 2007. In office Patil 's term as the President of India saw various controversies. She commuted the death sentences of 35 petitioners to life, a record. The presidential office, however, defended this by saying that the President had granted clemency to the petitioners after due consideration and examining the advice of the Home Ministry. Patil was noted for having spent more money on foreign trips, and having taken a greater number of foreign trips, than any prior president. Sometimes accompanied by as many as 11 members of her family, there had been 12 foreign trips spanning 22 countries by May 2012, when she was away on her 13th trip. Those completed travels had cost Rs 205 crore ( 2.05 billion ). The Ministry of External Affairs said that taking family members `` was not abnormal ''. The office of president has a five - year term and Patil retired from the role in July 2012. Patil allegedly used public funds to build a retirement mansion on a 260,000 square feet ( 24,000 m ) plot of military land in Pune. Tradition is that a retiring president either takes residence in government accommodation in Delhi or moves back to their residence in their home state ; her use of government money to build a retirement home at the end of the presidential term was unprecedented. Other controversies that arose after her retirement included her desire to claim both an official government car and fuel allowance for the running of a private car, despite rules clearly stipulating that this was an either / or situation. She also took possession of many gifts that had been given to her in her official role and was later forced to return them. Business interests Patil set up Vidya Bharati Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, an educational institute which runs a chain of schools and colleges in Amravati, Jalgaon, pune and Mumbai. She also set up Shram Sadhana Trust, which runs hostels for working women in New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune ; and an engineering college for rural students in Jalgaon district. She also co-founded a cooperative sugar factory known as Sant Muktabai Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana at Muktainagar. In addition, Patil founded a cooperative bank, Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank, that ceased trading in February 2003 when its licence was cancelled by the Reserve Bank of India. Among other failings, the bank had given illegal loans to her relatives that exceeded the bank 's share capital. It had also given a loan to her sugar mill which was never repaid. The bank waived these loans, and this drove it into liquidation. The government liquidator of the bank, P.D. Nigam, said, `` The fact that relatives of the founder chairperson ( Pratibha Patil ) were among those indiscriminately granted loans and that some illegal loan waivers were done has come up in our audit. '' Six of the top ten defaulters in the bank were linked to her relatives. The INC claimed that Patil had not been involved with the bank since 1994 but The Indian Express reported that it had official documents showing her involvement as late as 2002. Positions held Patil has held various official offices during her career. These are : Period Position 1967 -- 72 Deputy Minister, Public Health, Prohibition, Tourism, Housing & Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Maharashtra 1972 -- 74 Cabinet Minister, Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra 1974 -- 75 Cabinet Minister, Public Health & Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra 1975 -- 76 Cabinet Minister, Prohibition, Rehabilitation and Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra 1977 -- 78 Cabinet Minister, Education, Government of Maharashtra 1979 -- 1980 Leader of the Opposition, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly 1982 -- 85 Cabinet Minister, Urban Development and Housing, Government of Maharashtra 1983 -- 85 Cabinet Minister, Civil Supplies and Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra 1986 -- 1988 Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha 1986 -- 88 Chairman, Committee of Privileges, Rajya Sabha ; Member, Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha 1991 -- 1996 Chairman, House Committee, Lok Sabha 8 November 2004 -- 23 June 2007 Governor of Rajasthan 25 July 2007 -- 25 July 2012 President of India References ^ Jump up to : Reals, Tucker ( 21 July 2007 ). `` India 's First Woman President Elected ''. CBS News. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 30. ^ Jump up to : `` Ex Governor of Rajasthan ''. Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Secretariate. Archived from the original on 2013 - 08 - 04. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. ^ Jump up to : `` Profile : President of India ''. NIC / President 's Secretariat. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. Jump up ^ Purohit, Kunal ( 11 October 2014 ). `` In Amravati, it 's about taking revenge for 2009 polls ''. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. ^ Jump up to : `` Profile : Pratibha Patil ''. BBC. 21 July 2007. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. Jump up ^ Ritu Singh ( 2007 ). President Pratibha Patil : India 's First Woman President. Rajpal & Sons. p. 52. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7028 - 705 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Former Governors of Rajasthan ''. Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Secretariat. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. ^ Jump up to : `` Prez polls : Sonia announces Pratibha Patil 's name ''. NDTV. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` I will not be a rubber stamp President ''. Daily News & Analysis. PTI. 16 June 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Congman 's wife drags Pratibha name into allegations, NDA distances itself ''. The Indian Express. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Court dismisses lawsuit against president 's brother ''. Thaindian. IANS. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Court summons brother of Pratibha Patil in murder case ''. The Indian Express. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ Pradhan, Bibhudatta ( 19 July 2007 ). `` Patil Poised to Become India 's First Female President ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 02. ^ Jump up to : Biswas, Soutik ( 13 July 2007 ). `` India 's muckraking presidential poll ''. BBC. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Indian MPs vote for new president ''. BBC. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 02. Jump up ^ Menon, Meena ( 26 June 2007 ). `` Shiv Sena backs Pratibha Patil ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 04. Jump up ^ Dhawan, Himanshi ( 27 June 2007 ). `` Pratibha believes in spirits ? ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Now, a land grab haunts Patil ''. DNA. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` For family again : Patil 's MP funds for sports complex on land leased to husband society ''. Indian Express. 6 July 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` First female president for India ''. BBC. 21 July 2007. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` President Pratibha Patil 's brush with controversy ''. IBN Live. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 2013 - 04 - 14. Jump up ^ `` President defends mercy spree to death row convicts ''. The Times of India. 26 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` President Pratibha Patil goes on mercy overdrive ''. The Times of India. 22 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` President Patil 's foreign trips cost Rs 205 crore ''. The Indian Express. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 21. Jump up ^ Dhawan, Himanshi ( 3 May 2012 ). `` Pratibha Patil took up to 11 relatives on 18 trips in a year ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ Kshirsagar, Alka ( 25 June 2012 ). `` Pratibha Patil gets retirement home in Pune ''. Business Line. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. Jump up ^ Joseph, Josy ( 15 April 2012 ). `` Pratibha 's Pune home a break from tradition ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ Satish, D.P. ( 29 July 2015 ). `` Former President Pratibha Patil wants both car & fuel from government ''. IBN Live. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Pratibha Patil 's Resume ''. The Times of India. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Pratibha - founded sugar unit owes bank Rs 17.70 cr ''. Hindustan Times. 30 September 2007. Jump up ^ Sarin, Ritu ( 26 June 2007 ). `` Patil was aware of her bank mess, top defaulters her kin ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, 2005 -- 06 : Appendix Table IV. 3 : Urban Co-operative Banks Under Liquidation '' ( PDF ). Reserve Bank of India. p. 328 ( 5 ). Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 05. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pratibha Patil. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Pratibha Patil President of India Official Site ex-President of India Pratibha Patil 's Official Site ex-President Pratibha Patil 's Personal Site ( www. pratibha patil.info ) Thakurdesai, Prerana ; Sahgal, Priya ( 9 July 2007 ). `` Embarrassing Choice : Scandals and mud - slinging have turned the presidential polls into an unseemly affair ''. India Today. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. Lok Sabha Preceded by Sudam Deshmukh Member of Parliament for Amravati 1991 -- 1996 Succeeded by Anant Gudhe Political offices Preceded by Madan Lal Khurana Governor of Rajasthan 2004 -- 2007 Succeeded by Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai Preceded by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam President of India 2007 -- 2012 Succeeded by Pranab Mukherjee Presidents of India ( List ) Rajendra Prasad Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Zakir Hussain V.V. Giri ( acting ) Mohammad Hidayatullah ( acting ) V.V. Giri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed B.D. Jatti ( acting ) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Zail Singh R. Venkataraman Shankar Dayal Sharma K.R. Narayanan A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee Ram Nath Kovind Governors of Rajasthan Man Singh II Gurmukh Nihal Singh Sampurnanand Hukam Singh Jogendra Singh Vedpal Tyagi $ Raghukul Tilak K.D. Sharma $ Om Prakash Mehra Vasantdada Patil Sukhdev Prasad Milap Chand Jain $ D.P. Chattopadhyaya Swarup Singh $ Marri Chenna Reddy Dhanik Lal Mandal # Bali Ram Bhagat Darbara Singh Navrang Lal Tibrewal $ Anshuman Singh Nirmal Chandra Jain Kailashpati Mishra # Madan Lal Khurana T.V. Rajeswar # Pratibha Patil Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai # Shilendra Kumar Singh Prabha Rau Shivraj Patil # Margaret Alva Ram Naik Kalyan Singh $ - acting, # - additional charge VIAF : 67678223 LCCN : n2007211608 ISNI : 0000 0000 7826 4445 GND : 134211154 SUDOC : 143885456 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pratibha_Patil&oldid=799194172 '' Categories : Pratibha Patil 1934 births 10th Lok Sabha members 20th - century Indian women politicians 20th - century Indian politicians 20th - century Indian educators 21st - century Indian educators 21st - century Indian women politicians 21st - century Indian politicians Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Educators from Maharashtra Female heads of state Governors of Rajasthan Indian National Congress politicians Indian women educators Leaders of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Living people Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra Marathi people People from Amravati People from Jalgaon district Presidents of India Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra Women leaders of India Women members of the Rajya Sabha Women presidents Women state governors of India Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from May 2017 Use Indian English from February 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Use dmy dates from January 2016 Articles with hAudio microformats Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Ænglisc Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская भोजपुरी Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch ދިވެހިބަސް Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français Galego ગુજરાતી 한국어 हिन्दी বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Kurdî Latina Latviešu Lietuvių मैथिली മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Sámegiella संस्कृतम् Scots Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Yorùbá Žemaitėška 中文 डोटेली Edit links This page was last edited on 6 September 2017, at 06 : 24. 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Question: who is the first woman president of india national congress
Answer: Pratibha Devisingh Patil