Sumitra Mahajan Explained

Birth Name:Sumitra Sathe
Sumitra Mahajan
Office1:16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
President1:
Primeminister1:Narendra Modi
1Blankname1:Deputy Speaker
1Namedata1:M. Thambidurai
2Blankname1:Leader of the House
2Namedata1:Narendra Modi
Predecessor1:Meira Kumar
Successor1:Om Birla
Term Start1:15 June 2014
Term End1:17 June 2019
Office3:Union Minister of State, Government of India
Term Start3:October 1999
Term End3:May 2004
Primeminister3:Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2Blankname3:Petroleum and Natural Gas
2Namedata3:March 2003 - May 2004
3Blankname3:Communication and Information Technology
3Namedata3:June 2002 - May 2003
4Blankname3:Human Resource Development
4Namedata3:October 1999 - June 2002
Office8:Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Constituency8:Indore
Term Start8:1989
Term End8:2019
Predecessor8:Prakash Chandra Sethi
Successor8:Shankar Lalwani
Office10:Deputy Mayor, Municipal Corporation, Indore
Term Start10:1984
Term End10:1985
Birth Date:12 April 1943
Birth Place:Chiplun, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Maharashtra, India)
Party:Bharatiya Janata Party
Otherparty:National Democratic Alliance
Awards:Padma Bhushan (2021)
Spouse:Jayant Mahajan
Children:2 sons
Father:Purushotam Neelkanth Sathe
Mother:Usha Sathe
Alma Mater:Indore University

Sumitra Mahajan (née Sathe; born 12 April 1943)[1] is an Indian politician who was the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament from 2014 to 2019.[2] She belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party. She represented the Indore constituency of Madhya Pradesh from 1989 to 2019 as the longest serving Woman Member of Parliament.[3]

She also served for as a Union Minister of State from 1999 to 2004, holding the portfolios for Human Resource Development, Communications and Information Technology and Petroleum and Natural Gas.[4] She also held position of Chairperson of Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment (2004-2009) and Standing Committee on Rural Development (2009-2014).[5] She was the eldest and seniormost among woman Members of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha. She is the second woman after Meira Kumar to be elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. She was awarded India's third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan in 2021.[6] [7]

Early life and education

Sumitra Mahajan was born in a Chitpavan Brahmin Marathi family to Usha and Purushottam Sathe in Chiplun, Maharashtra. She received her MA and LLB from Indore University (now Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya) after marrying Jayant Mahajan of Indore. Sumitra Mahajan's hobbies include reading, music, drama and cinema as well as an enthusiasm for singing. She has acknowledged the 18th century queen Ahilyabai Holkar as the inspirational figure throughout her life and has written a book on Ahilyabai Holkar's life journey 'Matoshree' which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017.

Political career

Sumitra Mahajan started her political career as a corporator in the Indore Municipal Corporation in 1982. She was later elected as Deputy Mayor of Indore Municipal Corporation in 1984. She ran for the first time and won the Lok Sabha elections in 1989, against former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prakash Chandra Sethi. She is popularly known as Tai, among people of her constituency.[4]

Speaker of the Lok Sabha

On 6 June 2014, Mahajan was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha.[2] She had earlier worked as a member of the 'Panel of Chairmen' in the Lok Sabha.[8] [9] [10] She took the step of suspending 25 Congress MPs for five days (August 2015) from House for indiscipline in the House.[11]

Controversy

Former chairperson of Indore-based Maharashtra Brahmin Cooperative Bank Anil Kumar Dhadwaiwale alleged Sumitra Mahajan and her son Milind Mahajan's roles were crucial in the scams that took place in the bank between 1997 and 2003.[13] Sumitra Mahajan was a minister in the Central Government during this period.

Milind Mahajan was one of the directors of the bank when the alleged scam took place. In 2005, an FIR in the scam was lodged at Central Kotwali Police Station, Indore against 16 persons including Milind Mahajan, but it was removed after the investigation. Many directors including Sumitra Mahajan's Private Secretary's husband, also obtained the loan but did not pay.[14]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sumitra Mahajan (Tai) - National Portal of India. India.gov.in. 2 April 2019.
  2. News: Sumitra Mahajan elected Lok Sabha Speaker. . The Times of India. 2 April 2019.
  3. Web site: Sumitra Mahajan elected Lok Sabha Speaker | India News - Times of India. .
  4. Web site: Fifteenth Lok Sabha - Members Bioprofile . 18 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174109/http://164.100.47.132/lssnew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=220 . 18 May 2014 . dead . dmy-all .
  5. Web site: Members : Lok Sabha.
  6. Web site: Padma Awards 2021 announced . Ministry of Home Affairs . 26 January 2021.
  7. Web site: Shinzo Abe, Tarun Gogoi, Ram Vilas Paswan among Padma Award winners: Complete list . . 25 January 2021 . 25 January 2021.
  8. Web site: BJP Leader Sumitra Mahajan Elected Speaker of Lok Sabha. Ndtv.com. 2 April 2019.
  9. Web site: News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates. https://web.archive.org/web/20140607062802/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sumitra-mahajan-elected-lok-sabha-speaker-second-woman-to-occupy-the-post/477114-37-64.html. dead. 7 June 2014. Ibnlive.in.com. 2 April 2019.
  10. Web site: Sumitratai.in . https://archive.today/20140927150619/http://sumitratai.in/ . 27 September 2014 . dead.
  11. Web site: Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspends 25 Congress MPs for 5 days. Moneycontrol.com. 2 April 2019.
  12. Web site: 2022-11-08 . Ex-LS Speakers hold round table discussion on National Legislators' Conference . 2023-02-04 . Deccan Herald . en.
  13. Web site: Former head of Brahmin Co- op Bank takes Tai for task.
  14. Web site: Arrest warrants against 14 MBSBL directors. 20 January 2007.