Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan. The chief minister of Maharashtra in 1960-62, Chavan was always viewed as a potential prime minister. He began his career in national politics as defence minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet immediately after the 1962 debacle. Chinese troops had crushed their ill-equipped and unprepared Indian counterparts along the disputed border between the two Asian giants in the high Himalayas. Chavan restored military morale and ensured adequate investments were finally made in defence. Of prime ministerial calibre, Chavan was widely viewed as one of the most capable
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