Balram Jakhar

Balram Jakhar, born August 23, 1923, and died February 3, 2016, was an Indian politician who served as Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989, the longest continuous tenure of any Speaker at nine years and 329 days, elected to the post during his very first term in the house and later serving a second stint. He was made Union Agriculture Minister under P. V. Narasimha Rao in 1991, serving until 1996, and went on to serve as Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2004 to 2009. A lifelong member of the Indian National Congress, he founded the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj farmers' organization in 1965.