✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Pratibha Patil

Pratibha Patil biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Pratibha Patil Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 13, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth19 December 1934

Age90 Years

BirthplaceNadgaon, Jalgaon, Bombay Presidency, British India (now in Maharashtra, India)

ProfessionPolitician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseDevisingh Ransingh Shekhawat (died 24 February 2023)

FamilyChildren: Son - Rajendra Shekhawat (Raosaheb Shekhawat); Daughter - Jyoti Rathore

Pratibha Patil Biography

Pratibha Devisingh Patil is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress who served in state and national legislatures before becoming Governor,;

Early life and background
Pratibha Devisingh Patil was born on 19 December 1934 in Nadgaon, Jalgaon, in what was then the Bombay Presidency of British India (now Maharashtra). Raised in the Jalgaon area, she attended R. R. Vidyalaya in Jalgaon and went on to study at Mooljee Jetha College (then affiliated to Pune University) and Government Law College, Mumbai. Her formal education includes a master’s degree in political science and economics and a Bachelor of Law degree. She is the daughter of Narayan Rao Patil and grew up in a Maharashtrian Hindu family. Pratibha Patil married Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat on 7 July 1965; the couple had two children, a son Rajendra (also known as Raosaheb Shekhawat) and a daughter Jyoti Rathore.

Career
Pratibha Patil’s political career spans several decades and multiple levels of government. She first won election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1962 at age 27, representing the Jalgaon constituency. She later represented Muktainagar (formerly Edlabad) and won that seat in successive elections between 1967 and 1985. From 1985 to 1990 she served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. She returned to the Lok Sabha as the Member of Parliament from the Amravati constituency in 1991.

Her long service to the Indian National Congress included both legislative work and organisational roles, and in 2004 she was appointed the 24th Governor of Rajasthan. Over her career she founded and supported a number of social and educational initiatives, including an educational trust and institutions in Amravati and other locations, a trust that ran hostels for working women, an engineering college for rural students, and a cooperative sugar factory established in Muktainagar. She also established a cooperative bank intended for women.

Public profile
Pratibha Patil has been a prominent public figure within the Indian National Congress and the wider political landscape. Her tenure in high office drew significant attention for several reasons: she was the first woman to hold the office of President of India; she took the unusual step for a state head of flying in a fighter plane at age 74; and her decisions while holding office, including the commuting of multiple death sentences to life imprisonment, attracted public discussion.

Her public life also included controversies and criticism. Allegations related to family members and institutions associated with her were reported in relation to legal inquiries, financial irregularities at an affiliated cooperative bank, and questions about the handling of gifts received from foreign dignitaries. Her household and projects have been the subject of scrutiny by activists and official inquiries. Press reports and later actions by authorities addressed some of these matters.

Pratibha Patil’s personal interests include reading, writing and table tennis. She has been noted for her affinity with Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisine and has named several film and music personalities among her favourites.

Latest updates
As of 2024 Pratibha Patil is 90 years old. Her husband, Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, died on 24 February 2023. Her son, Rajendra Shekhawat, has been active in politics and has faced inquiries in relation to a large cash seizure reported by local authorities in 2012. Pratibha Patil’s post-presidential life involved stewardship of educational and social ventures linked to her family and region, and some of those institutions and transactions remained subjects of public attention and legal or administrative action.

Public standing and legacy
Pratibha Patil’s long political career and her elevation to the presidency marked a significant milestone in India’s political history as the first woman to hold that office. Her record includes decades of service at state and national levels, the establishment of institutions intended to serve education and social causes, and decisions while in office that continue to be discussed. At the same time, controversies connected to family members, institutional management and protocol-related questions have been a recurrent feature of her public narrative.
◈

Recent Work

Governor of Rajasthan

Appointed as the 24th Governor of Rajasthan in 2004

2004
✦

Career Highlights

  1. First woman President of India
  2. Elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1962
  3. Served in Rajya Sabha (1985–1990)
  4. Elected Member of Parliament from Amravati (1991)
  5. Appointed Governor of Rajasthan (2004)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Pratibha Patil born?

19 December 1934

What is Pratibha Patil known for?

Politician

What is Pratibha Patil’s marital status?

Married

Who is Pratibha Patil married to?

Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat (died 24 February 2023)