Iron Lady, Amma, Didi, Bua: Female Politicians Who Broke Glass Ceiling in Indian Politics

The participation of women in Indian politics is very less as compared to men. According to a report, there are only 14 per cent women MPs in Lok Sabha and this number has come down to just 11 per cent in Rajya Sabha.

However, from time to time many names have emerged as symbols of hope for generations to come that politics is not a men’s game.

As India celebrates ‘Women Power’ on International Women’s Day today, here is a look at women politicians who played a significant role in shaping the country’s history:

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi, daughter of India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, served as Minister of Information and Broadcasting (1964–1966). She held the office of Prime Minister of India from January 1966 to March 1977 and became PM again in January 1980 after Congress came to power. He was assassinated on October 31, 1984. She also held the post of Congress President several times.

One of the most defining moments of his tenure as PM came in 1975 when he imposed Emergency after his election to the Lok Sabha in 1971 was declared void by the Allahabad High Court on grounds of electoral malpractice. The Emergency lasted for two years and the Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in 1977.

During his tenure, India defeated Pakistan in the 1971 war and paved the way for Bangladesh (formerly West Pakistan).

Jayalalithaa

After a successful career in films, Jayalalithaa began her political innings in 1982 with MG Ramachandran’s AIADMK. She emerged as a leader in the AIADMK after MGR’s death by fighting opponents within the party. In 1991, Jayalalithaa became the youngest Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalithaa was known for her populist policies for women and was fondly called “Amma” by her supporters. He passed away in September 2016.

Sonia Gandhi

Sonia married former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi on February 25, 1968. Several years after Rajiv’s death, Sonia Gandhi took over as the Congress President in 1998 and was the longest serving in power. During his tenure, the Congress won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014.

his presidency ended when his son Rahul Gandhi Was elected unopposed to the top post in 2017. However, after the 2019 Lok Sabha defeat, Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress President, taking “moral” responsibility. Later, Sonia Gandhi took over as the interim president of the party and held the position till last year.

Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj served as External Affairs Minister during the first term of Narendra Modi Government. She held several portfolios during her political career and was elected to the Parliament several times. She was also the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi.

Swaraj died following a cardiac arrest in 2019 at the age of 67.

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee started her political career with the Congress in the 1970s as a Youth Congress worker. She rose through the ranks in the party in a short span of time and became the general secretary of the Mahila Congress and later the All India Youth Congress. In 1984, she was elected to the Lok Sabha.

However, he later left the Congress and founded the All India Trinamool Congress in 1997. After years of struggle and defeat, she ousted 34 years of CPI(M) rule in West Bengal and became the chief minister. His party has registered a resounding victory in three consecutive elections. She is also the first woman Chief Minister of the state.

mayawati

Mayawati served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh four times. She is affectionately called ‘Bua’ in Uttar Pradesh and her party Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) relies mainly on the Other Backward Castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for votes. However, when the BJP stormed to power in 2017, the political equations changed and since then the BSP is in the woods.

Mayawati has been serving as the National President of BSP since 2003.

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