Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
, she was the
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the
Minister of Water Resources for a brief period in 2009. She served as the
15th Speaker of Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, being the first woman to hold the post. Kumar became just the second woman to be nominated for
president of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
by a major political block when she secured the
United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...
's nomination in 2017.
Prior to being a member of the
15th Lok Sabha
Members of the 15th Lok Sabha were elected during the 2009 general election in India. It was dissolved on 18 May 2014 by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won 44 more seats than the previou ...
, Kumar had been elected earlier to the
8th
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
,
11th,
12th
12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6.
It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...
and
14th Lok Sabha
The 14th Lok Sabha (17 May 2004 – 18 May 2009) was convened after the 2004 Indian general election held in four phases during 20 April – 10 May 2004, which led to the formation of first Manmohan Singh ministry (2004–2009). Indian Nationa ...
. Kumar was the joint presidential candidate by the leading opposition parties for
2017 presidential election and lost the election to the NDA nominee
Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...
. Meira Kumar's vote share is the third highest for a losing candidate, that of
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (; 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. Beginning a long political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence ...
in the
1969 Presidential elections and
K. Subba Rao in
1967 Presidential elections.
Early life
Meira Kumar was born on 31 March 1945, in
Bhojpur district,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
of the
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
(present day
Bihar, India
Bihar (; ) is a states and union territories of India, state in eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, 2nd largest state by population in 2019, list of states and union territories of India by are ...
) to
Jagjivan Ram
Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), known popularly as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar. He was instrumental in the foundation of the ''All India Depressed Classes League'', an organisation dedicated ...
, an
Oppressed
Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination wh ...
leader and former
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and Indrani Devi, a prominent leader of the
Indian freedom struggle
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
. Growing up, Kumar shared a close relationship with her mother, who she spent most of her time with. She discussed the impact that her mother had on her in an interview with Manoj Tibrewal of the
Doordarshan News, calling her the biggest influence from her childhood.
Kumar attended the
Welham Girls School
Welham Girls' School is a private boarding school for girls located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.
History
The school was established in 1957. Welham was named after the little Welsh village from where its founder, H.S. Oliphant hailed. A ...
,
Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
and
Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School
Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School or MGD is located in Jaipur, India and was established by and named after Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. It was the first all-girls school to be established in the state of Rajasthan.
History
The school wa ...
in
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
. She studied at
Banasthali Vidyapith
Banasthali Vidyapith (Banasthali University) is a university located in the Tonk district of the Rajasthan state in India. It is a deemed university offering programs at the secondary, senior secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate degree ...
for a short duration. She completed her
Master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. and
Bachelors of Law
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from
Indraprastha College
Indraprastha College for Women, also known as Indraprastha College or IP College ( hi, इंद्रप्रस्थ महिला महाविद्यालय), is the oldest women's college in Delhi. Established in 1924, it is a con ...
and the
Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi is the law department of the University of Delhi. It has the unique distinction of producing the largest number of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India.
It is situated in the north campus of the ...
respectively. She also received an honorary doctorate from
Banasthali Vidyapith
Banasthali Vidyapith (Banasthali University) is a university located in the Tonk district of the Rajasthan state in India. It is a deemed university offering programs at the secondary, senior secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate degree ...
in 2010.
Kumar worked as a
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
er during her youth, actively participating in movements supporting
social reform
A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...
s,
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
, and
democratic ideas. She was appointed as the Chairperson of National Drought Relief Committee constituted by the
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
during
1967 famine in region of Bihar. As the head of the commission, Kumar launched a Family Adoption Scheme under which drought-affected families were provided support from volunteering households.
Career
Foreign Service
Kumar joined the
Indian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is the 34th and the ...
in 1973 and was posted as language trainee at the Embassy of India
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. During this period, she obtained a diploma in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
.
Later, she was posted at the
High Commission of India,United Kingdom .
After working as a diplomat for a decade, Kumar quit the Indian Foreign Services in 1985 and decided to enter politics after being encouraged by her father and the then
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
,
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
.
Political career
Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985, when she received an
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
' nomination for the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
from the
Bijnor constituency bye-poll in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. She defeated, as a newcomer, two veteran
dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...
leaders including
Ram Vilas Paswan
Ram Vilas Paswan (5 July 19468 October 2020) was an Indian politician from Bihar and the Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the first and second Modi ministries. Paswan was also the president of the Lok Jansha ...
of the
Janata Dal
Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 ...
and
Mayawati
Kumari Mayawati (born 15 January 1956) is an Indian politician. She has served four separate terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which focuses on a platform of social cha ...
of the
Bahujan Samajwadi Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a national level political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans (literally means "community in majority"), referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), alo ...
. Following her election to the Lok Sabha, Kumar was appointed as member of the
Ministry of External Affairs' Consultative Committee in 1986.
Meera Kumar lost elections for 9th Lok Sabha (1989) and 10th Lok Sabha from
Sasaram
Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ag ...
, but went on to win elections for the
11th (in 1996) and the
12th
12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6.
It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
s from
Karol Bagh
Karol Bagh is a neighbourhood in Central District of Delhi, India. It is a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood known for shopping streets such as the Ghaffar Market and Ajmal Khan Road.
It was home to the Karol Bagh Lok Sabha cons ...
in Delhi. She lost her seat to the candidate from the
Bhartiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
in 1999 election, but was able re-elected with a significant majority from her father's former constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009. In the
2014 general election and in 2019, Kumar contested from Sasaram and lost both times to her nemesis
Chhedi Paswan
Chhedi Paswan (born 4 February 1956) is a former member of 16th Lok Sabha and a former member of Bihar Legislative Assembly. He represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2014. At various points, he has been with Janata Party, then its C ...
who has defeated her in Sasaram four times.
Following the Congress party's win in the
2004 Indian general elections
General elections were held in India in four phases between 20 April and 10 May 2004. Over 670 million people were eligible to vote, electing 543 members of the 14th Lok Sabha. Seven states also held assembly elections to elect state governme ...
, Kumar served in the
United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...
's Government as the
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, under the premiership of
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
.
In 2009, the United Progressive Alliance returned to power after an improved performance in the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
and Kumar was, on May 22, 2009, briefly inducted as member of the centre's cabinet as the Minister for Water Resources.
However, she was later nominated for the position of the
Speaker of Lok Sabha
The speaker of the Lok Sabha (IAST: ) is the presiding officer and the highest official of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected generally in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general ele ...
and she submitted her resignation three days after assuming ministerial office. Kumar was then elected as the first ever woman speaker of Lok Sabha and remained in office from 2009 to 2014.
2017 presidential election
Kumar secured the
United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...
's nomination for the
2017 Indian presidential election
A Presidential election was held in India on 17 July 2017 with the votes counted and the results announced on 20 July 2017. President of India, President Pranab Mukherjee, whose term of office was due to expire on 24 July 2017, declined to seek ...
, becoming just the third woman to be nominated for president of India by a major
political bloc
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
, after
Pratibha Patil
Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...
. Although she received support from most of the major opposition parties for her election to the office, she went on to lose to the
National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) () is a Centre-right politics, centre-right to Right-wing politics, right-wing and Conservatism, conservative Indian big tent political alliance led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was foun ...
nominee
Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...
.
Kovind received a total of 2,930 votes (which included both Members of Parliament and
Members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of the
Legislative Assemblies) amounting to electoral college votes of 702,044.
He defeated Kumar, who received a total of 1,844 votes amounting to 367,314 votes in terms of electoral college.
Positions held
Meira Kumar has been elected 5 times as
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
MP.
Explanatory notes
See also
*
Navtej Sarna
Navtej Singh Sarna (born 1957) is an Indian author-columnist, diplomat and former List of ambassadors of India to the United States, Indian Ambassador to the United States. He previously served as the High Commission of India to the United Kingd ...
*
Taranjit Singh Sandhu
Taranjit Singh Sandhu is an Indian diplomat and current List of ambassadors of India to the United States, Indian Ambassador to the United States. He previously served as High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.
Career
Taranjit Singh Sandhu qua ...
*
Harsh Vardhan Shringla
Harsh Vardhan Shringla (born 1962) is Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. He has previously served as Foreign Secretary of India, Ambassador to USA, High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Thailand.
*
List of politicians from Bihar
This is a list of politicians from Bihar, India. It includes leaders from different political parties.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Politicians from Bihar
Bihar-related lists
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the ...
References
External links
Meira Kumar BiographyGovt. of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
Portal
Kamal Nath gives clean chit to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in bungalow controversy
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Meira
1945 births
Living people
20th-century Indian lawyers
20th-century Indian women politicians
20th-century Indian politicians
21st-century Indian lawyers
21st-century Indian women politicians
21st-century Indian politicians
India MPs 1984–1989
India MPs 1996–1997
India MPs 1998–1999
India MPs 2004–2009
India MPs 2009–2014
Candidates for President of India
Dalit politicians
Dalit women
English-language writers from India
Indian Foreign Service officers
Indian National Congress politicians from Bihar
Indraprastha College for Women alumni
Lok Sabha members from Bihar
Lok Sabha members from Delhi
Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh
People from Bhojpur district, India
People from Central Delhi district
People from Sasaram
Speakers of the Lok Sabha
United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election
Indian Hindus
Delhi University alumni
Women members of the Cabinet of India
Women in Bihar politics
People from Bijnor district
Welham Girls' School alumni
Bihari politicians
20th-century Indian women lawyers
21st-century Indian women lawyers
Women members of the Lok Sabha