Shankar Dayal Sharma

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Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (August 19 1918 December 26 1999) was an Indian scholar and politician, most notable for serving as President of India from 1992 until 1997.

Sharma studied in Britain as a young man. He attended Cambridge University and Oxford University. He obtained a law degree and was admitted to the bar, but rarely practiced. During the 1940s he was involved in the struggle for Indian independence from Britain, and joined the Indian National Congress, a party which he would remain loyal to for the rest of his life. In 1952 he became the chief minister of Bhopal and served in that position until the state reorganization of 1956, when Bhopal merged with several other states to form the state of Madhya Pradesh.

During the 1960s Sharma supported Indira Gandhi's quest for leadership of the Congress Party. He was given a variety of ceremonial posts. In 1984 he began serving as a governor of Indian states, first in Andhra Pradesh. During this time, his daughter and son-in-law were killed by Sikh militants. In 1985 he left Andhra Pradesh and became governor of Punjab during a time of violence between the Indian government and Sikh militants, many of whom lived in Punjab. He left Punjab in 1986 and took up his final governorship in Maharashtra. He remained governor of that state until 1987 when he was elected for a 5-year term as Vice-President of India and chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Sharma served as Vice-President until 1992, when he was elected President. After a difficult campaign, he received 66% of the votes in the electoral college, defeating George Swell. During his five-year term, he was active in ceremonial matters and was in charge of dismissing and appointing governors. During his last year as President, it was his responsibility to swear in three prime ministers. He did not run for a second term as President.

During the last five years of his life, Sharma suffered from ill health. On October 9 1999, he suffered a massive heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, where he died.

Shankar Dayal Sharma was married to Vimala Sharma.

sa:शंकर दयाल शर्मा