While politics in India isn’t exactly a matter of credibilities, it indeed helps when politicians come armed also with exemplary educational and professional qualifications to work their way up the revered minds of the nation. Politicians of the country dwell between extremities- from dropouts to doctorates, India is a democracy run by all. Here are some of the highly qualified of Indian politicians who would totally bowl you over with their degrees-
Shashi Tharoor
His many a speeches delivered in impeccable English stands true to how much command over language Shashi Tharoor possesses. And Tharoor’s many exemplary academic pursuits only complement further his linguistic skills and make him among the more prominent of qualified politicians in India. A member of the Indian National Congress ever since he barged into the political scene in 2009, the Lok Sabha member from Trivandrum in Kerala is an accomplished scholar.
A graduate in history from St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, Tharoor obtained his MA in International Relations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. A year later, Shashi Tharoor also completed his Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy while advancing the very next year to complete his PhD in International Relations and Affairs. At the mere age of 22, Tharoor became the youngest person to receive a doctorate from the Fletcher School, preceding his genius display with also being awarded the Robert B. Stewart Prize for best student during the course of pursuing the doctorate degree.
Manmohan Singh
One of the finest economists, if not the finest of politicians, from India, Manmohan Singh has been a former Prime Minister of India apart from holding numerous key positions in preceding cabinets throughout his political career. An Indian National Congress member, Singh excelled throughout his academic life. A graduate and post graduate in economics from Panjab University, Singh completed his Economics Tripos at University of Cambridge as a member of St John’s College. A DPhil degree in 1960 from the University of Oxford and a 1962 doctoral thesis sums up Singhs accomplished academic life that founded the basis of his as glorious career as not merely a politician, but rather an office holder in the ministry who pledged his own rationality and brilliance in rescuing the country out of some of its difficult financial times.
P. Chidambaram
The former Union Minister of Finance and Home Affairs P. Chidambaram is another among the most qualified of Indian politicians. A graduate in statistics from the Presidency College in Chennai, Chidambaram proceeded to obtain a Bachelors in Law from the Madras Law College. He thereafter also earned his Masters from Loyola College and an MBA from the prestigious Harvard Business School.
Subramanian Swamy
Currently a nominated Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and a former member of the Planning Commission of India, Subramanian Swamy’s qualification credentials make him one of the most worthwhile politicians of the country. With a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Hindu College and a master’s degree in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, Swamy went on to pursue his PhD in Economics from the Harvard University on a full Rockefeller scholarship. Prior to his plunge into politics, Subramanian Swamy had served as academician in a number of positions at some of the most prestigious universities across the world.
Kapil Sibal
A senor advocate cum politician who has held numerous key positions in union ministries, Kapil Sibal’s educational qualifications are a reflection of his worth as a minister of repute. A LL.B degree from Delhi’s University’s Faculty of Law and a subsequent master’s in history heralded the beginning of his illustrious career. Sibal also qualified for the Indian Administrative Services though he refused to take up the position. He rather chose to concentrate on his law practice, going on to obtain his LL.M. from the Harvard Law School in 1977. The only lawyer in the Parliament when he took to office in 1994, Sipal also successfully defended a Supreme Court judge during impeachment proceedings in a definite marker of his skilled lawmanship.
Jayant Sinha
Formerly the Minister of State for Finance and Minister of State for Civil Aviation,Jayant Sinha is an accomplished Indian politician. A graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Sinha also holds a Master of Science in Energy Management & Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Sinha also holds an M.B.A. with distinction from the Harvard Business School and was invited to serve on the International Advisory Board of the International Finance Corporation, Washington DC.
Arvind Kejriwal
The current Chief Minister of Delhi and founder of the Aam Aadmi Party is another politician whose educational credentials bode well for his reputation as a leader of the masses. Graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur after having secured an All India Rank of 563 in the IIT-JEE examination, Kejriwal also cleared the prestigious Union Public Service Commission to become an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax in the Indian Revenue Services.
Baijayant Panda
The national vice-president and spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party, Baijayant Panda is another qualified politician. Being an alumnus of the Michigan Technological University, Panda’s engineering and management background meant that he spent quite some time working in the corporate sector before proceeding to jump in the political fray in India.
Harsh Vardhan
Recently elected to the office of Chairperson of Executive Board of the World Health Organization, Harsh Vardhan has been a prominent Indian politician. The incumbent minister at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan himself is a renowned doctor. The 2002 awardee of the “Doctor of the last Decade”, Vardhan holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the Kanpur University. Harsh Vardhan also earned a Master of Surgery in Otorhinolaryngology.
Rajeev Gowda
The national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, M. V. Rajeev Gowda is a highly qualified politician. The Bangalore University gold medallist in political science during the time he studied economics and political science there, Gowda also secured a full scholarship to pursue Masters in Economics in Fordham University, New York. Gowda also holds a PhD in Public Policy and Management from Wharton School and has been a Post- Doctoral Fellow in Law & Economics from University of Berkeley, California.
Sambit Patra
Source: Moneycontrol
Sambit Patra is one of the official spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party though his educational credibilities qualify him as a doctor. Patra did his MBBS from VSS Medical College and Hospital Odisha in 1997 and his Master of Surgery (MS) in General Surgery from SCB Medical College, Utkal University in 2002. He also qualified UPSC Combined Medical Services and served at Hindu Rao hospital as a medical officer.
Prodyut Bora
Source: HuffPost India
An Indian politician and social activist, Prodyut Bora’s academic qualifications put him on a league of his own. A graduate in English literature from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College, Bora also holds an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He also has been a Chevening Gurukul Scholar at the prestigious London School of Economics and a Yale World Fellow at the Yale University.
Jairam Ramesh
Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh is also another qualified Indian politician. An economist by virtue of his educational lineage, Ramesh graduated from IIT Bombay with a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering. He therafter obtained a Master of Science in Public Policy and Public Management from the Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Though Ramesh embarked on his doctoral journey at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the program remained incomplete due to family exigencies. But ever since early life Ramesh’s academic pursuits had lent him greater inroads into the understanding of economics. In fact as a mere teen, Ramesh read Nobel Prize winner Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal and wrote to him, earning him a reply and catering to him as an influence that remained throughout his formative years.
Prithviraj Chavan
A former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a low profile, non controversial leader, Prithviraj Chavan is however high flying in his qualifications. A graduate in mechanical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Chavan won a UNESCO scholarship in Germany following which he went on to pursue a Master of Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jyotiraditya Scindia
One among the fittest politicians in India, Bharatiya Janta Party member Jyotiradity Scindia is also a qualified one. Admitted to Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College, Scindialater transferred to Harvard College, the undergraduate liberal arts college of Harvard University. With a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from there, Scindia proceeded to complete the Master of Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
Conrad Sangma
Currently the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma has also been the youngest Finance Minister of the state when he assumed office in 2008. A bachelor’s degree in business administration in entrepreneurial management from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in finance from Imperial College London sums up the credentials of this qualified Indian politician.
Piyush Goyal
The current minister of Railways and Commerce in the Government of India, Piyush Goyal is one of the politicians with a strong academic record. An all-India second rank holder in CA Final Chartered Accountant and second rank holder in Law in Mumbai University, Goyal has also participated in Leadership Programs at Yale University, Oxford University and Princeton University.
Rahul Gandhi
Currently a member of the Indian parliament representing Kerala’s Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi’s political lineage draws from one of the most influential political legacies in the country. Gandhi obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the Rollins College in Florida even though he had enrolled earlier for undergraduate courses under Delhi University and also at Harvard University. Thereafter Gandhi went on to obtain his M.Phil. from Trinity College, Cambridge.
Gaurav Gogoi
The son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and a Member of Parliament himself, Gaurav Gogoi is another qualified Indian politician. A B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi’s Indraprastha University, Gogoi holds also a Master of Public Administration from the New York University.
