Meira Kumar - Revision history

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	==Early life==		==Early life==
	Meira Kumar was born on 31 March 1945 in a Dalit family, in [[Patna\|Patna district]], [[Bihar]] of the [[British India]] (present day [[Bihar, India]]) to [[Jagjivan Ram]], a [[dalit]] leader and former [[Deputy Prime Minister of India\|Deputy Prime Minister]] and Indrani Devi, a prominent leader of the [[Indian freedom struggle]].<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html \| title=Profile: Meira Kumar, first female Dalit Speaker \| publisher=oneindia.in \| date=3 June 2009 \| access-date=10 February 2014 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222030615/http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html \| archive-date=22 February 2014 \| url-status=live }}</ref> Growing up, Kumar shared a close relationship with her mother, who she spent most of her time with. She discussed the impact that her mother had on her in an interview with Manoj Tibrewal of the [[DD News\|Doordarshan News]], calling her the biggest influence from her childhood.<ref name="dd">{{cite web\|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UvES-YsdQmU\|title=Manoj Tibrewal Aakash interviewed Meira Kumar for DD News's Ek Mulaqat (Full Interview)\|publisher=[[DD News\|Doordarshan News]]\|via=[[YouTube]]\|access-date=14 October 2019\|date=26 December 2011}}</ref>		Meira Kumar was born on 31 March 1945 in a Dalit family, in [[Patna\|Patna district]], [[Bihar]] of the [[British India]] (present day [[Bihar, India]]) to [[Jagjivan Ram]], a [[dalit]] leader and former [[Deputy Prime Minister of India\|Deputy Prime Minister]] and Indrani Devi, a prominent leader of the [[Indian freedom struggle]].<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html \| title=Profile: Meira Kumar, first female Dalit Speaker \| publisher=oneindia.in \| date=3 June 2009 \| access-date=10 February 2014 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222030615/http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html \| archive-date=22 February 2014 \| url-status=live }}</ref> Growing up, Kumar shared a close relationship with her mother, who she spent most of her time with. She discussed the impact that her mother had on her in an interview with Manoj Tibrewal of the [[DD News\|Doordarshan News]], calling her the biggest influence from her childhood.<ref name="dd">{{cite web\|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UvES-YsdQmU \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/UvES-YsdQmU \|archive-date=2021-12-21 \|url-status=live\|title=Manoj Tibrewal Aakash interviewed Meira Kumar for DD News's Ek Mulaqat (Full Interview)\|publisher=[[DD News\|Doordarshan News]]\|via=[[YouTube]]\|access-date=14 October 2019\|date=26 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

	Kumar attended the [[Welham Girls School]], [[Dehradun]] and [[Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School]] in [[Jaipur]]. She studied at [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] for a short duration. She completed her [[Master's degree]] and [[Bachelors of Law]] from [[Indraprastha College]] and the [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi]] respectively. She also received an honorary doctorate from [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms\|title=Banasthali created a force of empowered women – Times of India\|access-date=15 December 2014\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104094126/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms\|archive-date=4 January 2017\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066\|title=Biography] [Lok Sabha\|access-date=2 June 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412003819/http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066\|archive-date=12 April 2009\|url-status=dead}}</ref>		Kumar attended the [[Welham Girls School]], [[Dehradun]] and [[Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School]] in [[Jaipur]]. She studied at [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] for a short duration. She completed her [[Master's degree]] and [[Bachelors of Law]] from [[Indraprastha College]] and the [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi]] respectively. She also received an honorary doctorate from [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms\|title=Banasthali created a force of empowered women – Times of India\|access-date=15 December 2014\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104094126/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms\|archive-date=4 January 2017\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066\|title=Biography] [Lok Sabha\|access-date=2 June 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412003819/http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066\|archive-date=12 April 2009\|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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	===Political career===		===Political career===

			[[File:The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar meeting Daw Aung Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on February 13, 2013.jpg\|thumb\|left\|upright=1.15\|Kumar meeting [[Myanmar\|Burmese]] leader [[Aung Suu Kyi]] in 2013.]]

	Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985, when she received an [[Indian National Congress]]' nomination for the [[Lok Sabha]] from the [[Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Bijnor constituency]] bye-poll in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. She defeated, as a newcomer, two veteran [[dalit]] leaders including [[Ram Vilas Paswan]] of the [[Janata Dal]] and [[Mayawati]] of the [[Bahujan Samajwadi Party]].<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html\|title=Law, foreign service, politics: Know Oppn's presidential candidate Meira Kumar\|date=22 June 2017\|work=[[Hindustan Times]]\|access-date=2018-01-17\|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190923/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html\|archive-date=17 January 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html\|title=Bijnor(Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha Election Results 2014 with Sitting MP and Party Name\|website=Elections.in\|access-date=13 October 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314061142/http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html\|archive-date=14 March 2019\|url-status=live}}</ref> Following her election to the Lok Sabha, Kumar was appointed as member of the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)\|Ministry of External Affairs]]' Consultative Committee in 1986.<ref name="goi"/>		Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985, when she received an [[Indian National Congress]]' nomination for the [[Lok Sabha]] from the [[Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Bijnor constituency]] bye-poll in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. She defeated, as a newcomer, two veteran [[dalit]] leaders including [[Ram Vilas Paswan]] of the [[Janata Dal]] and [[Mayawati]] of the [[Bahujan Samajwadi Party]].<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html\|title=Law, foreign service, politics: Know Oppn's presidential candidate Meira Kumar\|date=22 June 2017\|work=[[Hindustan Times]]\|access-date=2018-01-17\|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190923/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html\|archive-date=17 January 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html\|title=Bijnor(Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha Election Results 2014 with Sitting MP and Party Name\|website=Elections.in\|access-date=13 October 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314061142/http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html\|archive-date=14 March 2019\|url-status=live}}</ref> Following her election to the Lok Sabha, Kumar was appointed as member of the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)\|Ministry of External Affairs]]' Consultative Committee in 1986.<ref name="goi"/>

	Meera Kumar lost elections for 9th Lok Sabha (1989) and 10th Lok Sabha from [[Sasaram (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Sasaram]], but went on to win elections for the [[11th Lok Sabha\|11th]] (in 1996) and the [[12th Lok Sabha\|12th]] [[Lok Sabha]]s from [[Karol Bagh (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Karol Bagh]] in Delhi. She lost her seat to the candidate from the [[Bhartiya Janata Party]] in 1999 election, but was able re-elected with a significant majority from her father's former constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009. In the [[2014 Indian general election\|2014 general election]] and in 2019, Kumar contested from Sasaram and lost both times to her nemesis [[Chhedi Paswan]] who has defeated her in Sasaram four times.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf\|title=Election Commission of India, General Elections, 2014 (16th Lok Sabha)\|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]\|access-date=13 October 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123041546/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf\|archive-date=23 November 2016\|url-status=live}}</ref>		Meera Kumar lost elections for 9th Lok Sabha (1989) and 10th Lok Sabha from [[Sasaram (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Sasaram]], but went on to win elections for the [[11th Lok Sabha\|11th]] (in 1996) and the [[12th Lok Sabha\|12th]] [[Lok Sabha]]s from [[Karol Bagh (Lok Sabha constituency)\|Karol Bagh]] in Delhi. She lost her seat to the candidate from the [[Bhartiya Janata Party]] in 1999 election, but was able re-elected with a significant majority from her father's former constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009. In the [[2014 Indian general election\|2014 general election]] and in 2019, Kumar contested from Sasaram and lost both times to her nemesis [[Chhedi Paswan]] who has defeated her in Sasaram four times.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf\|title=Election Commission of India, General Elections, 2014 (16th Lok Sabha)\|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]\|access-date=13 October 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123041546/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf\|archive-date=23 November 2016\|url-status=live}}</ref>

	[[File:The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar meeting Daw Aung Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on February 13, 2013.jpg\|thumb\|left\|upright=1.15\|Kumar meeting [[Myanmar\|Burmese]] leader [[Aung Suu Kyi]] in 2013.]]

	Following the Congress party's win in the [[2004 Indian general elections]], Kumar served in the [[United Progressive Alliance]]'s Government as the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (India)\|Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]] from 2004 to 2009, under the premiership of [[Manmohan Singh]].		Following the Congress party's win in the [[2004 Indian general elections]], Kumar served in the [[United Progressive Alliance]]'s Government as the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (India)\|Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]] from 2004 to 2009, under the premiership of [[Manmohan Singh]].
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	==External links==		==External links==
			{{Commons category}}
	* [http://india.gov.in/govt/loksabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=3066 Meira Kumar Biography] [[Govt. of India]] Portal		* [http://india.gov.in/govt/loksabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=3066 Meira Kumar Biography] [[Govt. of India]] Portal
	* [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/kamal-nath-gives-clean-chit-to-lok-sabha-speaker-meira-kumar-in-bungalow-controversy/articleshow/13066276.cms Kamal Nath gives clean chit to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in bungalow controversy]		* [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/kamal-nath-gives-clean-chit-to-lok-sabha-speaker-meira-kumar-in-bungalow-controversy/articleshow/13066276.cms Kamal Nath gives clean chit to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in bungalow controversy]
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	[[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of India]]		[[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of India]]

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Meira Kumar
| image = The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar in 2010.jpg
| office = [[Speaker of the Lok Sabha|15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha]] 
| deputy = [[Kariya Munda]]
| term_start = 4 June 2009
| term_end = 18 May 2014
| predecessor = [[Somnath Chatterjee]]
| successor = [[Sumitra Mahajan]]
| office1 = [[Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation|Minister of Water Resources]]
| primeminister1 = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| term_start1 = 22 May 2009
| term_end1 = 25 May 2009
| predecessor1 = [[Saifuddin Soz]]
| successor1 = [[Pawan Kumar Bansal]]
| office2 = [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment|Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]]
| primeminister2 = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| term_start2 = 22 May 2004
| term_end2 = 22 May 2009
| predecessor2 = [[Satyanarayan Jatiya]]
| successor2 = [[Selja Kumari]]
| office3 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of the Lok Sabha]] for [[Sasaram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sasaram]]
| term_start3 = 2004
| term_end3 = 2014
| predecessor3 = [[Muni Lall]]
| successor3 = [[Chhedi Paswan]]
| office4 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of the Lok Sabha]] for [[Karol Bagh (Lok Sabha constituency)|Karol Bagh]]
| term_start4 = 1996
| term_end4 = 1999
| predecessor4 = [[Kalka Dass]]
| successor4 = [[Anita Arya]]
| office5 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of the Lok Sabha]] for [[Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bijnor]]
| term_start5 = 1985
| term_end5 = 1989
| predecessor5 = Chowdhary Girdhari Lal
| successor5 = [[Mayawati]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|3|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Patna]], [[Bihar Province|Bihar]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present day [[Patna]], [[Bihar]], [[India]])
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| otherparty = [[United Progressive Alliance]]
| spouse = Manjul Kumar
| children = Anshul Kumar Devangana Kumar Swati Kumar
| alma_mater = [[Campus Law Centre]], [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi]]
}}
'''Meira Kumar''' (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the [[Indian National Congress]], she was the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment|Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]] from 2004 to 2009, the [[Ministry of Water Resources (India)|Minister of Water Resources]] for a brief period in 2009, and the [[Speaker of Lok Sabha|15th Speaker of Lok Sabha]] from 2009 to 2014. Kumar became just the second woman to be nominated for [[president of India]] by a major political bloc when she secured the [[United Progressive Alliance]]'s nomination in 2017.

Prior to being a member of the [[15th Lok Sabha]], Kumar had been elected earlier to the [[8th Lok Sabha|8th]], [[11th Lok Sabha|11th]], [[12th Lok Sabha|12th]] and [[14th Lok Sabha]]. Kumar was the joint presidential candidate by the leading opposition parties for [[2017 Indian presidential election|2017 presidential election]] and lost the election to the NDA nominee [[Ram Nath Kovind]]. Meira Kumar's vote share is the second highest for a losing candidate, that of [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] in the 1969 Presidential elections being the highest ever.

==Early life==
Meira Kumar was born on 31 March 1945 in a Dalit family, in [[Patna|Patna district]], [[Bihar]] of the [[British India]] (present day [[Bihar, India]]) to [[Jagjivan Ram]], a [[dalit]] leader and former [[Deputy Prime Minister of India|Deputy Prime Minister]] and Indrani Devi, a prominent leader of the [[Indian freedom struggle]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html | title=Profile: Meira Kumar, first female Dalit Speaker | publisher=oneindia.in | date=3 June 2009 | access-date=10 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222030615/http://news.oneindia.in/2009/06/03/profile-meira-kumar-first-woman-dalit-speaker.html | archive-date=22 February 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref> Growing up, Kumar shared a close relationship with her mother, who she spent most of her time with. She discussed the impact that her mother had on her in an interview with Manoj Tibrewal of the [[DD News|Doordarshan News]], calling her the biggest influence from her childhood.<ref name="dd">{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UvES-YsdQmU|title=Manoj Tibrewal Aakash interviewed Meira Kumar for DD News's Ek Mulaqat (Full Interview)|publisher=[[DD News|Doordarshan News]]|via=[[YouTube]]|access-date=14 October 2019|date=26 December 2011}}</ref>

Kumar attended the [[Welham Girls School]], [[Dehradun]] and [[Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School]] in [[Jaipur]]. She studied at [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] for a short duration. She completed her [[Master's degree]] and [[Bachelors of Law]] from [[Indraprastha College]] and the [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi]] respectively. She also received an honorary doctorate from [[Banasthali Vidyapith]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms|title=Banasthali created a force of empowered women – Times of India|access-date=15 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104094126/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Banasthali-created-a-force-of-empowered-women/articleshow/16718163.cms|archive-date=4 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066|title=Biography] [Lok Sabha|access-date=2 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412003819/http://164.100.47.134/newls/Biography.aspx?mpsno=3066|archive-date=12 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kumar worked as a [[social work]]er during her youth, actively participating in movements supporting [[social reform]]s, [[human rights]], and [[democracy|democratic ideas]]. She was appointed as the Chairperson of National Drought Relief Committee constituted by the Congress during [[Famine in India#Bihar drought|1967 famine in region of Bihar]]. As the head of the commission, Kumar launched a Family Adoption Scheme under which drought-affected families were provided support from volunteering households.<ref name="goi"/>

==Career==

===Foreign Service===
Kumar joined the [[Indian Foreign Service]] in 1973 and was posted as language trainee at the Embassy of India [[Spain]]. During this period, she obtained a diploma in [[Spanish (language)|Spanish]].<ref name="goi">{{cite web|url=https://archive.inndia.gov.in/govt/loksabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=3066|title=Detailed profile: Smt. Meira Kumar|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=13 October 2019}}</ref> Later, she was posted at the [[High Commission of India, United Kingdom]] .<ref name="goi"/> After working as a diplomat for a decade, Kumar quit the Indian Foreign Services in 1985 and decided to enter politics after being encouraged by her father and the then [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Rajiv Gandhi]].<ref name="britannica">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Meira-Kumar|title=Meira Kumar|website=[[Britannica]]|language=en-GB|access-date=13 October 2019|last=Mariet D'Souza|first=Shanthie }}</ref>

===Political career===

Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985, when she received an [[Indian National Congress]]' nomination for the [[Lok Sabha]] from the [[Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bijnor constituency]] bye-poll in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. She defeated, as a newcomer, two veteran [[dalit]] leaders including [[Ram Vilas Paswan]] of the [[Janata Dal]] and [[Mayawati]] of the [[Bahujan Samajwadi Party]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html|title=Law, foreign service, politics: Know Oppn's presidential candidate Meira Kumar|date=22 June 2017|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|access-date=2018-01-17|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190923/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/law-foreign-service-politics-all-about-oppn-s-presidential-candidate-meira-kumar/story-d4tkzWlzU6aXkUSL3uEvSI.html|archive-date=17 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html|title=Bijnor(Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha Election Results 2014 with Sitting MP and Party Name|website=Elections.in|access-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314061142/http://www.elections.in/uttar-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/bijnor.html|archive-date=14 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Following her election to the Lok Sabha, Kumar was appointed as member of the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]]' Consultative Committee in 1986.<ref name="goi"/>

Meera Kumar lost elections for 9th Lok Sabha (1989) and 10th Lok Sabha from [[Sasaram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sasaram]], but went on to win elections for the [[11th Lok Sabha|11th]] (in 1996) and the [[12th Lok Sabha|12th]] [[Lok Sabha]]s from [[Karol Bagh (Lok Sabha constituency)|Karol Bagh]] in Delhi. She lost her seat to the candidate from the [[Bhartiya Janata Party]] in 1999 election, but was able re-elected with a significant majority from her father's former constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009. In the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 general election]] and in 2019, Kumar contested from Sasaram and lost both times to her nemesis [[Chhedi Paswan]] who has defeated her in Sasaram four times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf|title=Election Commission of India, General Elections, 2014 (16th Lok Sabha)|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|access-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123041546/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar meeting Daw Aung Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on February 13, 2013.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|Kumar meeting [[Myanmar|Burmese]] leader [[Aung Suu Kyi]] in 2013.]]

Following the Congress party's win in the [[2004 Indian general elections]], Kumar served in the [[United Progressive Alliance]]'s Government as the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (India)|Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]] from 2004 to 2009, under the premiership of [[Manmohan Singh]].

In 2009, the United Progressive Alliance returned to power after an improved performance in the [[2009 Indian general election|general election]] and Kumar was, on May 22, 2009, briefly inducted as member of the centre's cabinet as the Minister for Water Resources.

However, she was later nominated for the position of the [[Speaker of Lok Sabha]] and she submitted her resignation three days after assuming ministerial office. Kumar was then elected as the first ever woman speaker of Lok Sabha and remained in office from 2009 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/world/asia/04briefs-indiaelection.html?ref=global-home|title=India: Woman Wins Post of Speaker|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=4 June 2009|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302141031/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/world/asia/04briefs-indiaelection.html?ref=global-home|archive-date=2 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-06-04/india/28196365_1_meira-kumar-jagjivan-ram-dalit-agenda|title=Meira Kumar brings Jagjivan to fore|website=[[The Times of India]]|date=4 June 2009|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524190438/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-06-04/india/28196365_1_meira-kumar-jagjivan-ram-dalit-agenda|archive-date=24 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====2017 presidential election====
{{main|2017 Indian presidential election}}
Kumar secured the [[United Progressive Alliance]]'s nomination for the [[2017 Indian presidential election]], becoming just the third woman to be nominated for president of India by a major [[political alliance|political bloc]],{{efn|While [[Lakshmi Sahgal]] was also nominated by the [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] during the 11th presidential election, she secured only 10 percent of the total votes polled.}} after [[Pratibha Patil]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Presidential election: Meira Kumar to file nomination on June 27, thanks Opposition parties for nominating her|last=Bhardwaj|first=Supriya|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/presidential-nominee-meira-kumar-ram-nath-kovind-upa-nda-nitish-kumar-984405-2017-06-23|access-date=12 October 2019|website=[[India Today]]|date=23 June 2017}}</ref> Although she received support from most of the major opposition parties for her election to the office, she went on to lose to the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] nominee [[Ram Nath Kovind]].<ref name="presidential">{{cite news|title=Kovind first President from Sangh, cross-voting boosts margin|url=http://m.timesofindia.com/india/kovind-first-president-from-sangh-cross-voting-boosts-margin/amp_articleshow/59691040.cms|access-date=23 July 2017|website=[[The Times of India]]|date=21 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723104655/http://m.timesofindia.com/india/kovind-first-president-from-sangh-cross-voting-boosts-margin/amp_articleshow/59691040.cms|archive-date=23 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kovind received a total of 2,930 votes (which included both Members of Parliament and [[Member of Legislative Assembly (India)|Members]] of the [[Legislative Assembly (India)|Legislative Assemblies]]) amounting to electoral college votes of 702,044.<ref name="presidential"/> He defeated Kumar, who received a total of 1,844 votes amounting to 367,314 votes in terms of electoral college.<ref name="prabhu">{{cite news|last1=Sunil Prabhu|title=In Defeat, Opposition's Meira Kumar Breaks 50-Year-Old Record|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-defeat-too-oppositions-meira-kumar-breaks-50-year-old-record-1727452|access-date=23 July 2017|website=[[NDTV]]|date=July 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721144932/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-defeat-too-oppositions-meira-kumar-breaks-50-year-old-record-1727452|archive-date=21 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/presidential-elections-meira-kumar-will-challenge-ram-nath-kovind-bsp-and-sp-go-with-opposition-choice-4717559/|title=Presidential Polls: Meira Kumar will challenge Ram Nath Kovind, BSP and SP go with Opposition choice|date=2017-06-23|work=[[The Indian Express]]|access-date=23 June 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623025234/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/presidential-elections-meira-kumar-will-challenge-ram-nath-kovind-bsp-and-sp-go-with-opposition-choice-4717559/|archive-date=23 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
!Party (Alliance)
!Candidate
!Electoral Votes
!Vote Percentage
!States carried
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] ([[National Democratic Alliance (India)|NDA]])
| data-sort-value="Kovind" |[[File:Ram_Nath_Kovind_official_portrait.jpg|120x120px]] <big>'''[[Ram Nath Kovind]]'''</big>
|702,044
|65.65%
|21
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[Indian National Congress|INC]] ([[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]])
| data-sort-value="Kumar" |[[File:Meira_Kumar.jpg|120x120px]] <big>'''Meira Kumar'''</big>
|367,314
|34.35%
|10
|-
|}

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
*[[Navtej Sarna]]
*[[Taranjit Singh Sandhu]]
*[[Harsh Vardhan Shringla]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://india.gov.in/govt/loksabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=3066 Meira Kumar Biography] [[Govt. of India]] Portal
* [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/kamal-nath-gives-clean-chit-to-lok-sabha-speaker-meira-kumar-in-bungalow-controversy/articleshow/13066276.cms Kamal Nath gives clean chit to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in bungalow controversy]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|in-lwr}}
{{s-bef|before=Chowdhary Girdhari Lal}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bijnor]] |years=1985–1989}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mayawati]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Kalka Dass]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Karol Bagh (Lok Sabha constituency)|Karol Bagh]] |years=1996–1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anita Arya]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Muni Lall]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Sasaram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sasaram]] |years=2004–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chhedi Paswan]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Satyanarayan Jatiya]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment|Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment]]|years=22 May 2004 – 22 May 2009}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Selja Kumari]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Saifuddin Soz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Water Resources (India)|Union Minister of Water Resources]]|years=22 May 2009 – 25 May 2009}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pawan Kumar Bansal]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Somnath Chatterjee]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the Lok Sabha]]|years=4 June 2009 – 4 June 2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sumitra Mahajan]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Speakers of the Lok Sabha}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Meira}}
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