Krishan Kant

Krishan Kant (28 February 1927 – 27 July 2002) was an Indian politician who served as the vice president of India from 1997 until his death in 2002. Prior to his vice presidency, Kant was the governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1990 to 1997. He was a member of both houses of the Indian Parliament, representing Haryana in the Rajya Sabha from 1966 to 1977, and Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha from 1977 to 1980. Kant was born to parents who were independence activists in Punjab, British India, and was himself arrested in Lahore during the Quit India movement. After independence, he studied chemical engineering and briefly worked as a scientist with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, before turning to politics. Kant was initially associated with the Congress, but later joined the Janata Party and the Janata Dal. He was considered as a candidate for the 2002 presidential election, as was routine for vice presidents. However, the government and the opposition supported A. P. J. Abdul Kalam as the candidate. Kalam took oath as president two days prior to Kant's death. He remains the only Indian vice president to have died in office.