Meira Kumar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meira Kumar
Kumar in 2013
15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
In office 4 June 2009 – 11 June 2014
President	Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee
Deputy	Kariya Munda
Leader of the House	Pranab Mukherjee Sushilkumar Shinde
Preceded by	Somnath Chatterjee
Succeeded by	Sumitra Mahajan
Union Minister of Water Resources
In office 22 May 2009 – 25 May 2009
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Cabinet	Manmohan II
Preceded by	Saifuddin Soz
Succeeded by	Pawan Kumar Bansal
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
In office 22 May 2004 – 22 May 2009
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Cabinet	Manmohan II
Preceded by	Satyanarayan Jatiya
Succeeded by	Selja Kumari
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 2004–2014
Preceded by	Muni Lall
Succeeded by	Chhedi Paswan
Constituency	Sasaram, Bihar
In office 1996–1999
Preceded by	Kalka Dass
Succeeded by	Anita Arya
Constituency	Karol Bagh, Delhi
In office 1985–1989
Preceded by	Chowdhary Girdhari Lal
Succeeded by	Mayawati
Constituency	Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh (by-poll)
Personal details
Born	(1945-03-31) 31 March 1945 (age 80) Arrah, Bihar, British India (present day Bihar, India)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Other political affiliations	United Progressive Alliance
Spouse	Manjul Kumar ​ (m. 1968)​
Relations	Sumitra Devi (mother-in-law)
Children	3 (1 son and 2 daughters)
Parents	Jagjivan Ram (father) Indrani Devi (mother)
Residence	Kalkaji, South East Delhi
Alma mater	Faculty of Law, University of Delhi

Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and a former diplomat. She is a member of the Indian National Congress political party.

Meira Kumar served as the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009. For a short time in 2009, she was the Minister of Water Resources. From 2009 to 2014, she made history as the 15th Speaker of Lok Sabha, becoming the first woman to hold this important position. In 2017, she was nominated for president of India, making her only the second woman to be chosen by a major political group for this role.

Before becoming the Speaker, Meira Kumar was elected to the Lok Sabha (India's Parliament) five times. She also ran for president in 2017 but lost to Ram Nath Kovind.

Early Life and Education

Meira Kumar was born on March 31, 1945, in the Bhojpur district of Bihar, India. Her father was Jagjivan Ram, a well-known leader and former Deputy Prime Minister of India. Her mother, Indrani Devi, was an important figure in India's fight for freedom. Meira Kumar was very close to her mother, who she says was the biggest influence in her childhood.

Schooling and Higher Studies

Meira Kumar went to school at Welham Girls School in Dehradun and Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School in Jaipur. She also studied briefly at Banasthali Vidyapith. She earned her Master's degree and a Bachelors of Law degree from Indraprastha College and the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. In 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from Banasthali Vidyapith.

Early Social Work

When she was younger, Meira Kumar was a social worker. She actively supported movements for social reform, human rights, and democracy. In 1967, during a severe drought in Bihar, she was appointed to lead the National Drought Relief Committee by the Indian National Congress. As the head of this committee, she started a "Family Adoption Scheme." This program helped families affected by the drought by connecting them with other families who volunteered to provide support.

Political Career Journey

Foreign Service Role

In 1973, Meira Kumar joined the Indian Foreign Service, which meant she worked as a diplomat for India in other countries. Her first posting was in Spain, where she learned Spanish. Later, she worked at the High Commission of India in the United Kingdom. After working as a diplomat for ten years, she decided to leave in 1985. Her father, Jagjivan Ram, and then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi encouraged her to enter politics.

Entering Politics

Kumar meeting Burmese leader Aung Suu Kyi in 2013.

Meira Kumar began her political career in 1985. She ran for the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of Parliament) from the Bijnor constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Even though she was new to politics, she won against two experienced leaders. After being elected, she became a member of a committee for the Ministry of External Affairs in 1986.

She lost elections in 1989 and 1991 from Sasaram. However, she was elected again to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1998 from Karol Bagh in Delhi. She lost her seat in 1999 but was re-elected by a large number of votes from Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009. This was the same constituency her father had represented. In the 2014 and 2019 general elections, she ran from Sasaram again but lost both times.

Ministerial Roles

After the Congress party won the 2004 Indian general elections, Meira Kumar became the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. She served in this role from 2004 to 2009 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In 2009, after her party won the general election again, she was briefly appointed as the Minister for Water Resources on May 22, 2009. However, she resigned just three days later. This was because she was nominated for the important position of the Speaker of Lok Sabha.

First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha

Meira Kumar was elected as the first-ever woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha. She held this significant office from 2009 to 2014. As Speaker, she was in charge of leading the Lok Sabha's meetings and making sure rules were followed.

2017 Presidential Election Campaign

In 2017, Meira Kumar was chosen by the United Progressive Alliance to run for president of India. She was the third woman to be nominated for president by a major political group. Even though she had support from many opposition parties, she lost the election to Ram Nath Kovind.

Kovind received about 702,044 electoral votes, while Meira Kumar received about 367,314 electoral votes.

National Legislators' Conference

In September 2022, Meira Kumar was appointed as a key patron of NLC Bharat. This means she helps support and guide the organization.

Lok Sabha Electoral History

Meira Kumar has been elected as a Lok Sabha MP five times. She lost her election from Sasaram in 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Meira Kumar para niños