Explanation:

J. B. Kripalani was an Indian politician associated with Indian National Congress during the pre-independence period. He presided over Indian National Congress during the transfer of power in 1947. Kripalani was known as an independence activist, environmentalist, mystic and a Gandhian. He was a close disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and known for his political association with Non-Cooperation Movement to Emergency period. One of the prominent leaders of the party, he and Sardar Patel received highest number of votes in the election for the post of the future Prime Minister of India. Both the leaders backed out on Gandhi’s insistence and Nehru got elected as India’s first Prime Minister. He died in 1982 aged 93.

AcharyaKripalani was born on the same day as Maulana Azad. He was born on 11 November 1888 in Hyderabad, Sind. His full name is JivatramBhagwandasKripalani. He completed his college education from Fergusson College in Pune. He worked as a school teacher before he plunged to socialist movement. When Gandhi returned to India from South Africa to initiate freedom struggle movement, Kripalani too got associated with Non-Cooperation movement in the early 1920s. He also worked in Gandhi ashrams located at different parts of the country preaching his ideas. He has been arrested and jailed several times too.

Kripalani joined the All India Congress Committee. In 1928 he became its general secretary. As a prominent leader of the party, he associated with Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement and later, served in the interim government of India and the Constituent Assembly of India. He was elected Congress President for the crucial years around Indian independence in 1947, the most important chapter of his political career. In October 1961, Kripalani contested the Lok Sabha elections opposite V.K. Krishna Menon, but lost the race. Kripalani remained in opposition for the rest of his life and has been elected to parliament in 1952, 1957, 1963 and 1967.