Portfolio: Minister of State for External Affairs
Date of birth: March 9, 1956
Party: Indian National Congress
Constituency: Thiruvananthapuram
Diplomat, author, journalist, human-rights advocate, and now a politician - Tharoor is adept at playing many a role with grace and grit. Chairman of Dubai-based Afras Ventures and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Shashi Tharoor was the official candidate of India for the succession to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, and came a close second out of seven contenders in the race.
His career began in 1978, when he joined the staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, and included key responsibilities in peace-keeping after the Cold War and as a senior adviser to the Secretary-General, as well as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. Tharoor was a surprise candidate in the Lok Sabha polls and won the Thiruvananthapuram seat by a huge margin against his nearest rival.
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