Chaturanan Mishra

Chaturanan Mishra (7 April 1925 – 2 July 2011) was an Indian politician and trade unionist. Mishra, who was born in Nahar, Madhubani District, was a key leader of the Communist Party of India in Bihar, and served as the Agriculture Minister of India in the United Front government.

He was the founder general secretary of the Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies.

Quit India Movement Mishra took part in the 1942 Quit India Movement. Due to his pro-Independence activism, he had to go into exile in Nepal for a period. Back in India, he was imprisoned at Darbhanga jail.

Mishra joined the National Council of the Communist Party of India in 1964. He led the CPI faction in the Legislative Assembly for ten years. Madhubani, Mishra's home turf, got the nickname 'Leningrad of Bihar'.

1980s He was defeated by Urmila Devi of the Congress (I) in a 1981 by-election (the 1980 election had been suspended following the death of Congress (I) candidate Randhir Prasad, Urmila Devi's husband). Mishra's candidature had been supported by the CPI(M), RSP and Lok Dal.

During the 1980s, Mishra became the president of the All India Trade Union Congress. In 1984 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. After the election he became Union Minister for Agriculture, a position he would hold until 1998. Mishra was one of the two (along with Indrajit Gupta) first communist Union Ministers in Indian history. In May 1997 he also overtook the portfolios of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution as Union Minister.

Mishra died in New Delhi at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at the age of 86.