Who was the Youngest President of India?

The turning point in Sanjiva Reddy’s life came when he first met Mahatma Gandhi who visited Anantapur in July 1929. He was highly inspired and influenced by the views, ideals, actions and words of Mahatma Gandhi.

He became an ardent follower of Gandhiji and cast aside his foreign clothes and started wearing dresses made of Khadi. Such was his dedication and sacrifice for his motherland that he even gave up his studies and took part in the Indian independence struggle.

Later in 1946 he was elected to the Madras Legislaltive Assembly and became the Secretary of the Madras Congress Legislature Party. He became a Member of the Constituent Assembly in 1947.He also served as a Minister for Prohibition for some time.

In 1951 he was elected as the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee and subsequently he became Member of the Rajya Sabha. Moreover he served as the President of the Indian National Congress from 1959 to 1962.

He held a lot of important positions in the Union Government. He was elected as the Speaker of Lok Sabha on 17th March, 1967 and again on March 26, 1977. Finally the Electoral College elected him as the President of India in July 1977. He passed away on 1st June, 1996.

Former Indian President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, one of the foremost political leaders from Andhra Pradesh, was born on May 19, 1913 in Anantapur district. He came from a respectable and well-to-do family.

He had his early education at Adyar, Madras, and then at the Arts College at Anantapur. While still in college he gave up his studies to participate in the freedom struggle launched by Mahatma Gandhi.

He first took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931. Within a few short years he came to national prominence as an influential peasant leader. He participated in various struggles against the British and was imprisoned several times.

Sanjeeva Reddy took an active part in the Quit India Movement. In 1946 Sanjeeva Reddy was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly and later on he became the Secretary of the Congress Legislature Party in Madras.

He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly in India. Sanjeeva Reddy held various important positions in the Congress and became a member of the Andhra Provincial Congress Committee. He was in the Congress Working Committee and the Central Parliamentary Board.

He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1952 and served as a member for little over a year. When the Andhra Province was separated from Madras and T. Prakasam became the Chief Minister of Andhra, Sanjeeva Reddy was appointed Deputy Chief Minister.

In December 1959 he was elected President of the Indian National Congress and he continued in that office till May 1962. He again became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 1962 for one year. Later he was appointed to the Central Cabinet.

Thus the Congress came to be divided into the Congress (O) and Congress (R) parties. The Presidential election went in favour of Mr. V. V. Giri. The, split in the Congress gradually widened. In the 1971 mid-term election, the Congress (R) had a landslide victory and the Congress (O) was reduced to a party of little significance.

After the defeat of the Congress (R) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1977, Sanjeeva Reddy was elected with the backing of the Janata Party as the President of the Republic. He would retire in 1981.