Ghulam Nabi Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 7 March 1949) is an Indian politician who served as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021. He also served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. He is the chief patron cum founder of Democratic Progressive Azad Party.

Azad served as Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He has served as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manmohan Singh government until 27 October 2005, when he was appointed the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. On 26 August 2022, Azad resigned from Indian National Congress and mulled creating a new party at the national level.

He also led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of Public Affairs.

He was a member of Committee constituted by the Government of India in September 2023 to suggest changes to the constitution for simultaneous polls in the country.

Early life

Ghulam Nabi Azad was born in a village named Soti of Gandoh tehsil (Bhalessa) in the formerly princely state of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. His parents were Rahamatullah Batt and Basa Begum. He attended the local school in his village. Later for higher studies he moved to Jammu and received his Bachelor's of Science degree from G.G.M. Science College. Furthermore, he also received a Master's in Zoology degree from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar in 1972.

Political career

Azad started his career soon after working as the secretary for the Block Congress Committee in Bhalessa in 1973. Two years later, he was nominated as the President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Youth Congress. In 1980, he was appointed the President of the All-India Youth Congress. During Rao's government, Azad took charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Civil Aviation ministries. He was subsequently elected to Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30 November 1996 to 29 November 2002 and 30 November 2002 to 29 November 2008, but resigned on 29 April 2006 as he became Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on 2 November 2005.

Union government

thumb|Ghulam Nabi Azad assumes charge as the Union Minister for Urban Development in New Delhi on 25 May 2004|left

In the second United Progressive Alliance Government, led by Manmohan Singh, Azad was sworn in as the Health Minister of India. He was elected to Rajya Sabha for the fourth and fifth terms from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30 November 1996 to 29 November 2002.

He has suggested a late marriage age of between 25 and 30 for population control, and has said that lack of electricity & thereby absence of TV entertainment in rural areas will cause people to produce more children.

Leader of Opposition

In June 2014, after the National Democratic Alliance won a majority in the Lok Sabha and formed the Union government, Azad was appointed the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, where Congress still held the majority.

In 2015, Azad got re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, despite the PDP-BJP alliance holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly.

thumb|[[Ram Nath Kovind, President of India presenting the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2015 to Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, at a function, at Parliament House, New Delhi on August 1, 2018.]]

Resignation from INC

In August 2022, Azad resigned from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee hours after his appointment. Sonia Gandhi accepted the resignation from Azad. On 26 August 2022, he resigned from all positions including primary membership of the party. In his resignation letter, he cited destruction of consultative process by Rahul Gandhi as a reason.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party

On 4 September 2022, Azad announced the formation of a new political party after resigning from Indian National Congress. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir will decide the name and the flag for the new party.

On 26 September 2022, Azad announced the name of his new party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. The flag of the Democratic Azad Party has three colours: mustard, white, and blue.

Personal life

Azad married Shameema Dev Azad, a well known Kashmiri singer, in 1980, and they have a son Saddam Nabi Azad and a daughter Sofiya Nabi Azad.

Positions held

{| class="wikitable"

! Year

! Description

| 1980 - 1984

| Elected to 7th Lok Sabha

Deputy Minister - Law, Justice and Company Affairs (1982-82)
Deputy Minister - Information and Broadcasting (1983–84)

| 1984 - 1989

| Elected to 8th Lok Sabha

Minister of State - Parliamentary Affairs (Dec 1984 - May 1986)
Minister of State - Home Affairs (May 1986 - Oct 1986)
Minister of State - Food and Civil Supplies (Oct 1986 - Sept 1987)

| 1991 - 1996

| Elected to Rajya Sabha From Maharashtra

Union Minister - Parliamentary Affairs (June 1991 - Dec 1992)
Union Minister - Parliamentary Affairs (Jan 1993 - May 1996)
Union Minister - Civil Aviation and Tourism (Jan 1993 - May 1996)

| 1996 - 2002

| Elected to Rajya Sabha From Jammu and Kashmir

| 2002 - 2006