RAS question
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat served as:
Correct answer: (C) CM of Rajasthan and Vice President of India.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat served both as Chief Minister of Rajasthan for three terms and as the 11th Vice-President of India.
Explanation
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is not remembered for holding just one office. He was Chief Minister of Rajasthan in three separate terms: 1977-80, 1990-92 and 1993-98. The official PIB release states that he later served as the 11th Vice-President of India and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from August 19, 2002 to July 21, 2007, after beginning public life as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly in 1952 and serving as Rajasthan Chief Minister for three terms. That combination makes option C the only complete answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Only Governor is wrong because Shekhawat was Rajasthan Chief Minister and later Vice-President of India, not someone defined only by a governorship.
- (B) Only MP is wrong because it ignores the two offices central to the question: three terms as Rajasthan Chief Minister and the Vice-Presidency of India.
- (D) Only CM of Rajasthan is incomplete because the PIB release also records his service as the 11th Vice-President of India from 2002 to 2007.
Concept
This tests recognition of major Rajasthan political figures and their constitutional offices. RAS often returns to such profiles because state leadership careers link Rajasthan politics with national institutions.