Rajkeswur Purryag

Rajkeswur Purryag, GCSK (12 December 1947 – 21 June 2025), also known as Kailash Purryag, was a Mauritian politician who served as the fifth president of Mauritius from July 2012 to May 2015. He was elected president of Mauritius by the National Assembly and took office on 21 July 2012. He succeeded Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who spent nine years as president from 2003 until resigning in March 2012. Kailash Purryag previously served as Member of Parliament, Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly; he made his debut in the political arena at an early age in 1976.

== Early life and background ==

Rajkeswur Purryag, better known as Kailash, was born on 12 December 1947 in Camp Fouquereaux, Phoenix, Mauritius. He was a Bihari Mauritian and his ancestors originated from the Indian state of Bihar. His ancestry is traced from a Nonia caste family of Bihar. He attended the Shree Shamboonath Government School and later the Mauritius College. He was sworn in as attorney-at-law in 1973. The same year, he joined the Mauritian Labour Party. He became general secretary of the party in 1984 and president in 1995.

== Political career ==

Kailash Purryag became a member of the Labour Party in 1973. He...