Tariq Anwar joins govt for the first time

61-year-old Anwar was a Congress leader till 1999, when he along with Sharad Pawar and P A Sangma parted ways with that party to establish Nationalist Congress Party.

A second-term Rajya Sabha member, he held the crucial position of Political Secretary to the then Congress President Sitaram Kesri.

Anwar hails from Bihar, but represents Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha.

Coming from an illustrious family which has been associated with the freedom struggle, Anwar began his career as a journalist in 1972 and took the political plunge soon after by joining Congress.

He rose to become the President of the Bihar Youth Congress in 1976. He made steady progress in the party ranks to become the President of the All India Youth Congress in 1982.

Anwar contested and won from the Katihar Lok Sabha constituency in 1980 and represented the seat for four terms.

He was also the Chairman of the All India Seva Dal and Chairman of the AICC Minority Cell for a few years. He also held the post of the President of the Bihar unit of Congress.

Anwar was elected as member of the Congress Working Committee in 1997 and was made a General Secretary of the party.

He was re-appointed as AICC General Secretary in June 1998 by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, a post he held till May 1999 when he parted ways with the party to set up NCP with Pawar and Sangma.

Anwar has been made Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing under his political boss Pawar.