At the beginning of Indian politics, there was a very limited number of women politicians but in the last few decades, we have seen many powerful women politicians in India. Some of them have a great hand in shaping the current political landscape of India.
Our country has seen some strong and brilliant Women politicians in the past. From having women politicians as our Prime Minister to the Chief Minister of the state, women have attained great heights and held the political spectra firm throughout the years. Though there are a lot of developments yet to be done in this field women do an excellent job in any niche. Women have made a remarkable act in Indian Politics by setting examples to the younger generation to be confident.
List of Top 10 Women Politicians in India
1. Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India in 1966, she is known as most powerful women politicians in India, and her leadership of India during the years of the Cold War was a major event of the era. She became the Prime Minister after her father’s assassination, she was known for her focus on rural development and her foreign policy of non-alignment.
She was the only woman to serve as Prime Minister of India. She was known for her charisma, but also her authoritarian leadership style. She forged close relations with the United States and China but also encouraged India’s nuclear program, which led to a major shift in India’s foreign relations. She was assassinated in 1984.
2. Sucheta Kriplani
Sucheta Kriplani, a world leader in international arbitration was the first woman to serve as the first woman Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. She is most well-known for her role in the Indian independence movement and her strong leadership style. She was a leader in South Asian women’s rights. She became active in politics and served as a minister in the Indian government. She was one of the first women to serve as a governor of a state in India.
3. Jayalalitha
Jayalalitha Jayaram was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. ‘Amma’ was how she was addressed by her people. Apart from being the general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, she was also an exceptional actress during her early life. She was a successful politician and actress and a warm-hearted person who was respected and loved by lakhs of people. Jayalalitha was the first heroine to act in a skirt in Tamil film. She was born in a Mandyam Iyengar family whose father was a wealthy lawyer.
4. Sheila Dikshit
Sheila Dikshit, a member of the National Congress was the longest-serving chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. She has served the capital for over 15 years. She was the second woman Chief Minister of Delhi. She holds a Master’s degree in Arts. Apart from this she also represents the New Delhi constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi. Sheila was educated in New Delhi and Mirinda House, University of Delhi.
5. Vasundhara Raje Scindia
Vasundhara Raje Scindia being the First Woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan is one of the most powerful women politicians in India. Vijayaraje Scindia, her mother introduced Vasundhara Raje to Indian politics in 1982. Vasundhara faced a lot of caste violence and mutiny by local leaders in her five-year term as Chief Minister. Vasundhara showed a solid style of leadership where she mainly focused on infrastructure and social initiatives.
6. Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj was the Union Minister of External Affairs of India. This BJP leader was also the first female CM in Delhi. She has also helped and been a part of many social activities and cultural bodies. She was the Leader of Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha. In Haryana, she was an active member of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. By profession, Sushma Swaraj is an advocate. She graduated from the Law Department of Punjab University, Punjab.
7. Mamata Banerjee
Mamta Banerjee has made a remarkable act in Indian politics by being the First Woman Chief Minister of West Bengal and the First Woman Railway Minister of India. Mamta Banerjee at present is the chief minister of West Bengal. She established the All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and is the chairperson too. Mamta was elected twice as the Minister of Railway. She also has served as the Minister of Coal and Women and Child Development in the cabinet of the Indian Government. Mamata Banerjee is known as one of the best women politicians in India.
8. Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi is one of the greatest women politicians of all time. She is the president of the very well-known party, the Indian National Congress. Her term here has been the longest in the history of Congress. She has also been ranked as the 9th most powerful woman in the planter by Forbes magazine. She is also the chairperson of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance).
Conclusion
There are a lot of opportunities for the young generation these days but back then women were restricted to even smaller peek out of the house still few Indian families and Indian women managed to strive through this and worked hard for their success. Women back in those days made a remarkable legacy in the history of Indian politics as they wanted to show the nation, the country, and the world that women are no less than men.
Women fought hard for their recognition in society and have set an example of dedication and confidence. In the present situation, women are still degraded but no woman is less than a man. The empowerment of women and their rights and recognition should be taken into consideration and given privileges equally. We proudly can say women are getting into better positions in society and building the nation to be a better place for future generations.
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