National and International Appointments

M. S. Gill succeeded T. N. Seshan as Chief Election Commissioner of India in 1996. Gill was a retired bureaucrat who continued the reform-oriented approach initiated by Seshan, though with a less confrontational style. The sequence was T. N. Seshan (1990-1996), followed by M. S. Gill (1996-2001).

Nitin Gadkari became the President of BJP in 2010, succeeding Rajnath Singh. He was a relatively young leader and focused on strengthening the party's organizational base.

Mrinal Pande was appointed as the Chairperson of Prasar Bharati in 2010. She is a noted journalist and writer, and her appointment was significant for public broadcasting in India.

Shivraj Patil was appointed as the Governor of Punjab in 2010 after serving as the Union Home Minister. He took over from the previous Governor, Gen. (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues.

M. A. Ayyangar served as the Speaker of the second Lok Sabha from 1957 to 1962. He had previously been the Deputy Speaker in the first Lok Sabha and became Speaker after G. V. Mavalankar's death. K. S. Hegde was Speaker of the fifth Lok Sabha.

Justice R.C. Sarkaria chaired the Sarkaria Commission (1983) appointed by the central government to review Centre-State relations. The commission made recommendations to improve federal structure and promote cooperative federalism. Its report is still referenced in discussions on state autonomy.

BS Yeddyurappa served as Chief Minister of Karnataka from May 2008 to July 2011, so he was the CM for most of 2011 until his resignation. The question appears to be from around 2011 when this was current information.

Ratan Tata, the visionary chairman of Tata Sons, was featured in Conde Nast Portfolio's list of 'Best Brains in Business' for 2007. This recognition highlighted his global business leadership, including the landmark Corus acquisition and Nano innovation. He represented Indian business excellence on the international stage.

Arun Bhatnagar was appointed Chairman of Prasar Bharati in 2008. Prasar Bharati is India's public service broadcaster, overseeing Doordarshan and All India Radio. M.V. Kamath is a noted journalist but was not the 2008 appointee. Vir Sanghvi is also a well-known journalist but not associated with this position. This appointment falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Rakesh Mohan, a former Deputy Governor of RBI, was the Chairperson of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) in 2011. Montek Singh Ahluwalia was with the Planning Commission, O.P. Bhatt was Chairman of SBI, and Shyamala Gopinath was a Deputy Governor of RBI.

Michel Sleiman took over as the President of Lebanon in 2008. He was elected as President after a long period of political deadlock in the country.