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 – 4 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 known for being the first woman to become the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, a very important role in India's government. She held this position from 2009 to 2014.

As a member of the Indian National Congress party, Kumar has had a long career in politics. She served as the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009. She was also briefly the Minister of Water Resources in 2009.

In 2017, she was chosen by a group of political parties called the United Progressive Alliance to run for President of India. Although she did not win, she was only the second woman to be nominated for this high office by a major political group.

Early Life and Education

Meira Kumar was born on March 31, 1945, in the Bhojpur district of Bihar, India. Her father, Jagjivan Ram, was a famous leader and former Deputy Prime Minister of India. Her mother, Indrani Devi, was a key figure in the Indian freedom struggle. Meira was very close to her mother, who she said was her biggest influence.

She went to several schools, including Welham Girls' School in Dehradun and Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School in Jaipur. She earned a Master's degree and a law degree from the University of Delhi. In 2010, she received an honorary doctorate, which is a special award for her achievements.

Even when she was young, Kumar was involved in social work. She helped with movements for social change and human rights. During a major drought in Bihar in 1967, she led a committee to help families in need.

Career Journey

Working as a Diplomat

Before entering politics, Meira Kumar had a different career. In 1973, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and became a diplomat. A diplomat's job is to represent their country in other nations.

Her first assignment was at the Embassy of India in Spain, where she learned to speak Spanish. Later, she worked for the High Commission of India in the United Kingdom. After ten years as a diplomat, she decided to leave the foreign service in 1985 to start a career in politics.

Entering the World of Politics

Kumar meeting with Burmese leader Aung Suu Kyi in 2013.

Kumar's political journey began in 1985. She won her first election to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament) from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. This was a big victory because she was a newcomer and defeated two experienced politicians, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati.

Over the years, she was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) five times. She represented different areas, including Karol Bagh in Delhi and Sasaram in Bihar, which was her father's former constituency.

Serving as a Minister

After the Indian National Congress party won the 2004 elections, Kumar became the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. She held this job for five years, working to help disadvantaged communities.

In 2009, she was briefly made the Minister for Water Resources. However, she soon left this role for a historic new position.

First Woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha

In 2009, Meira Kumar was elected as the 15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha. This was a major milestone, as she was the first woman ever to hold this powerful position. The Speaker is like the referee of the Lok Sabha, making sure that debates are orderly and that rules are followed. She served as Speaker for a full five-year term, until 2014.

2017 Presidential Election

In 2017, Meira Kumar was chosen as the presidential candidate for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), a coalition of opposition parties. This made her only the third woman to be nominated for president by a major political group.

She ran against Ram Nath Kovind, the candidate from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In India's presidential election, Members of Parliament and members of state legislative assemblies vote.

Kovind won the election, but Kumar received a significant number of votes, showing she had strong support from many parts of the country.

Party (Alliance)	Candidate	Electoral Votes	Vote Percentage	States carried
BJP (NDA)	Ram Nath Kovind	702,044	65.65%	21
INC (UPA)	Meira Kumar	367,314	34.35%	10

Lok Sabha Election History

Meira Kumar has been elected to the Lok Sabha five times throughout her career. The table below shows her terms as a Member of Parliament.

See also

In Spanish: Meira Kumar para niños

• Navtej Sarna
• Taranjit Singh Sandhu
• Harsh Vardhan Shringla
• List of politicians from Bihar