Bhagwat Jha Azad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 18thChief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 14 February 1988 – 10 March 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Bindeshwari Dubey |
| Succeeded by | Satyendra Narayan Sinha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1922-11-28)28 November 1922 Godda,Bihar and Orissa Province,British India |
| Died | 4 October 2011(2011-10-04) (aged 88) Bhagalpur, Bihar, India |
| Children | Kirti Azad (son) |
Bhagwat Jha Azad was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. He served asChief Minister of Bihar from 14 February 1988 to 10 March 1989.[1][2] He was at various times a member of parliament and a member of theBihar state legislature.
Azad was a 20-year-old college student when he took part in a demonstration as part of theQuit India Movement in 1942. He was hit by a bullet in his leg, which incident made him famous in the press. After this, there was no going back for the young man, and a glittering political career was born. Later, Azad was also arrested several times by the British.[3]
Independence came in 1947, exactly five years after the Quit India Movement, and Azad was advantageously poised to make a career in politics. He was part of an influential cohort of politicians from Bihar who gained prominence on the national stage during the post-independence stage, known as the "Young Turks." He was a contemporary ofBindeshwari Dubey,Abdul Gafoor,Chandrashekhar Singh,Satyendra Narayan Sinha andKedar Pandey (all future chief ministers of Bihar); and ofSitaram Kesri, future national president of Indian National Congress.[citation needed]
Azad representedBhagalpur constituency in theLok Sabha for five terms.[4] He was elected to the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth Lok Sabha. He served as a Union minister of state from 1967 to 1983 in the ministries of agriculture, education, labour and employment, supply and rehabilitation, civil aviation and food and civil supplies. He was a veteran Congressman, andChief Minister of Bihar between 14 February 1988 and 10 March 1989.[4]
Well known cricketerKirti Azad and ex IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad are his sons.
Bhagwat Jha Azad died in 2011 aged 89. He had been ailing for several years.[citation needed]
