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{{Short description|Indian stateswoman (1913–1987)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| caption =
| office3 = Member of [[Assam Legislative Assembly]]
| constituency3 = [[Moran Assembly constituency|Moran]]
| predecessor3 = Ghana Kanta Gogoi
| successor3 = Tarun Chandra Chutia
| birth_place = [[Shillong]], [[Assam]], India
| birth_date = 24 February 1913
| spouse = [[Jogesh Chandra Borgohain]] (died 1944)
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| website =
| footnotes =
| term3 = 1957 – 1972
| occupation = {{hlist|Stateswoman|social worker|author}}
| children = [[Shanti Gogoi]]
| death_date = 1987 (aged 74)
| parents = {{ubl|Siddheswar Gohain (father)|Subhadra Aideau (mother)}}
| relatives = [[Rajeswar Singha]] (fourth great-grandfather)<br>[[Kesab Chandra Gogoi]] (son-in-law)<br>[[Ranjan Gogoi]] (grandson)<br>[[Anjan Gogoi]] (grandson)
[[Shrinjan Rajkumar Gohain]] (grandson)
| office = [[Mahendra Mohan Choudhry ministry|Minister for Social Welfare, Sericulture and Weaving]]
| term_start = 11 November 1970
| term_end = 31 January 1972
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = [[Mahendra Mohan Choudhry]]
| predecessor = [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]]
| successor = Uttam Chandra Brahma
| office2 = [[Third Chaliha ministry|Minister of State for Social Welfare, Relief and Rehabilitation]]
| 1blankname2 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata2 = [[Bimala Prasad Chaliha]]
| term2 = 1967 – 1970
| birth_name = Padmavati Kumari Gohain
| other_party = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
}}

'''Padmavati Kumari Gohain''' (24 February 1913 – 1987) was an Indian stateswoman, social worker,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaura |first=Ajīta |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Directory_of_Indian_Women_Today_1976/PAkuAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=padma%20kumari%20gohain%201967 |title=Directory of Indian Women Today, 1976 |date=1976 |publisher=India International Publications |language=en}}</ref> writer, and descendant of the [[Ahom dynasty]] who served as [[Mahendra Mohan Choudhry ministry|Minister for Social Welfare, Sericulture and Weaving]] from 1970 to 1972. She previously served as [[Third Chaliha ministry|Minister of State for Social Welfare, Relief and Rehabilitation]] from 1967 to 1970. A member of the [[Indian National Congress]], she was the Member of [[Assam Legislative Assembly]] for [[Khowang Assembly constituency|Moran]] for three terms from 1957 to 1972.

Gohain was the first [[Post-independence History of India|post-independence]] female [[cabinet minister]] in [[Assam]], the only woman to contest every [[Elections in India|general election]] from 1946 to 1967, the first woman to contest for a general Assam assembly seat,{{Efn|In 1946, four other women contested for the seat reserved for women in Shillong. Gohain was the only woman to contest for a general seat, in Dibrugarh West}} and one of the first female [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLAs]] in Assam.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Indian_Journal_of_Political_Science/uW4KAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=padma%20kumari%20gohain |title=The Indian Journal of Political Science |date=1978 |publisher=Indian Political Science Association |language=en}}</ref> She was the mother-in-law of Chief Minister [[Kesab Chandra Gogoi]], and maternal grandmother of Chief Justice [[Ranjan Gogoi]].

== Ancestry and family ==
Padma Kumari Gohain was the daughter of Siddheswar Gohain and Subhadra Aideau. Her father was the son of Srimat Gohain and grandson of Indunath Gohain, Sarumelia Raja. Indunath Gohain was the son of Bijoy Barmura Gohain, grandson of Ratneswar, Tipam Raja, and great-grandson of Ahom King [[Suremphaa|Rajeswar Singha]]. This made Padma Kumari Gohain the fourth-great-granddaughter of King Rajeswar Singha. Her grandfather, Srimat, was also a first cousin of Ahom King [[Purandar Singha]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tungkhungia Buranji |url=https://ia802901.us.archive.org/11/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.283945/2015.283945.Tungkhungia-Buranji_text.pdf}}</ref>

Gohain's brothers were Kumudeswar Gohain, Vice Principal of Moran High School, Sureswar Gohain, Director of Education in Assam and [[Nagaland]], and Debaswar Gohain, an advocate. Her sister Nilopadmani was married to an excise superintendent, and her sister Purobala was married to an IPS officer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-29 |title=A trailblazer from Assam: The story of Padma Kumari Gohain - Assam's first woman minister post independence |url=https://www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/story/a-trailblazer-from-assam-the-story-of-padma-kumari-gohain-assams-first-woman-minister-post-independence-902112-2024-02-29 |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=India Today NE |language=hi}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Padmavati Kumari Gohain was born on 24 February 1913 in [[Shillong]]. She received an education in the [[Ahom language|Tai language]] until [[matriculation]] level.<ref name=":0" />

== Political career ==
Gohain began her political career by becoming the first female member of the Dibrugarh local board. She unsuccessfully contested the 1946 Assam election as an [[independent candidate]] for the Dibrugarh West constituency, having polled 839 votes out of 8018.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Asok Kumar |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Women_and_Changing_Power_Structure_in_No/1m7aAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=padma%20kumari%20gohain%201946 |title=Women and Changing Power Structure in North-East India |last2=Athparia |first2=R. P. |date=2006 |publisher=North-East India Council for Social Science Research |isbn=978-81-86867-89-1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hazarika |first=Niru |date=1978 |title=ROLE OF WOMEN IN STATE POLITICS (Assam) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41854820 |journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=61–78 |issn=0019-5510}}</ref> In [[1952 Assam Legislative Assembly election|1951]], she contested the [[Moran Assembly constituency|Moran assembly constituency]] as the [[Indian National Congress]] candidate{{Efn|Some sources not that Gohain contested as an independent candidate until she was successfully elected. This article follows the Election India source which states she was the Congress candidate in 1951.}} and received 7955 votes, by was defeated by independent candidate Ghana Kanta Gogoi.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Moran (Assam) Assembly Constituency |url=https://www.elections.in/assam/assembly-constituencies/moran.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409234003/https://www.elections.in/assam/assembly-constituencies/moran.html |archive-date=2014-04-09 |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=www.elections.in}}</ref> In the [[1957 Assam Legislative Assembly election]], she was elected with 20525 votes as the Congress MLA for Moran. She was reelected at the [[1962 Assam Legislative Assembly election]] with 9796 votes. At the [[1967 Assam Legislative Assembly election]], she won 9037 votes and was reelected.<ref name=":1" />

In 1967, Gohain was appointed Minister of State for Social Welfare, Relief and Rehabilitation in the [[third Chaliha ministry]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Indian_Recorder_Digest/bqEvAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=in%201967,%20padma%20kumari%20gohain |title=Indian Recorder & Digest |date=1966 |publisher=Indian Council of World Affairs. |language=en}}</ref> In 1970, she was promoted to Cabinet as [[Mahendra Mohan Choudhry ministry|Minister for Social Welfare, Sericulture and Weaving]] under [[Mahendra Mohan Choudhry]], serving until 1972. She left politics in the same year.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/India_Who_s_who/tbBJAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=padma%20kumari%20gohain%20social%20welfare%20sericulture |title=India Who's who |date=1971 |publisher=INFA Publications |language=en}}</ref>

== Literary works ==
In 1935, Gohain published her work ''Madhuri'', which was a collection of short stories. In 1952, she published her novel ''Hindu Nari''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Akademi |first=Sahitya |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Whos_Who_Of_Indian_Writers/56PWDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Who's Who Of Indian Writers |publisher=Dalcassian Publishing Company |language=en}}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
Gohain married freedom fighter and politician Jogesh Chandra Borgohain (died 1944), who was a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLC]] in the late 1930s. Their children included social activist [[Shanti Gogoi]], who married future Chief Minister of Assam [[Kesab Chandra Gogoi]]. Gohain was also the maternal grandmother of Chief Justice of India [[Ranjan Gogoi]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-04-10 |title=Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi's mother passes away in Delhi hospital |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/ex-cji-ranjan-gogois-mother-passes-away-in-delhi-hospital/articleshow/82003320.cms |access-date=2026-02-28 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

Gohain died in 1987, at the age of 74.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baragohāñi |first=Nirupamā |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Abhiyatri/cCS3E11jeR0C?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Abhiyatri |date=1999 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-0688-5 |language=en}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
<references />

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gohain, Padma Kumari}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Assam MLAs 1957–1962]]
[[Category:Assam MLAs 1962–1967]]
[[Category:Assam MLAs 1967–1972]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of Assam]]
[[Category:Women members of the Assam Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:People from Shillong]]
[[Category:Indian royalty]]
[[Category:Indian writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Assam]]
[[Category:Indian social workers]]

Padma Kumari Gohain - Revision history

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