Mr Tharman was the first to throw his hat into the ring when he announced on Jun 8 that he will retire from politics and all his positions in government.
Tharman joined politics in 2001 as a member of parliament and has held several cabinet positions, including deputy prime minister as well as education and finance minister.
Members of Parliament in Singapore paid tribute to senior Indian-origin minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on his last day as an MP for his contributions to public service over more than two decades.