Ram Vilas Paswan

Ram Vilas Paswan (5 July 1946 – 8 October 2020) was an Indian politician from Bihar and the Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the first and second Modi ministries. Paswan was also the president of the Lok Janshakti Party, nine-times Lok Sabha member and two-time Rajya Sabha MP. He started his political career as a member of Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969. Paswan joined Lok Dal upon its formation in 1974, and became its general secretary. He opposed the emergency, and was arrested during this period. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977, as a Janata Party member from Hajipur constituency, and was elected again in the 1980, 1989, 1991 (from Rosera), 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014 elections. In 2000, Paswan formed the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as its president. Subsequently, in 2004, he joined the ruling United Progressive Alliance government and remained a Union Minister in Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Ministry of Steel. He was posthumously awarded India's third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan in 2021. Known for holding cabinet positions under 7 governments, Paswan was known as the weatherman of Indian politics. As of 2024, he is the longest-serving Union minister who was not a member of the Indian National Congress.