Arif Mohammad Khan is a former union Minister and is currently serving as the Governor of Kerala. He has held several portfolios ranging from energy to civil aviation.

Born on November 18, 1951 in Bulandshahr, he was educated at Jamia Millia School, Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and at Shia College, Lucknow University.

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The Governor of Kerala started his political career as a student leader. He was the President of Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union in the year 1972-73 and also its honorary Secretary a year earlier (1971–72).

He contested the first legislative assembly election from Siyana constituency of Bulandshahar on Bharatiya Kranti Dal party’s banner but was defeated. He became a member of the legislative assembly of UP in 1977 at the age of 26.

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In recent days, there has been speculation by some political watchers that a Muslim could be nominated by the BJP for the President of India post. Twitter users have referred to the prospects of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of Minority Affairs, after he was not renominated for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. Another name that was talked about on Twitter is Arif Mohammad Khan.

Khan had earned a reputation as a voice of modernity among Muslims after he resigned from his ministerial post in the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986 after disagreeing with the government’s action in the Shah Bano case.

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Arif Mohammad Khan had been a vocal advocate for abolition of triple talaq.

The rumours of a Muslim presidential candidate come in the wake of a controversy generated by comments about Prophet Muhammad by BJP leaders.

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Khan on Tuesday had dismissed as “not important” the demand for a public apology that Qatar had made over the comments on Prophet Muhammad.