Chandrama Santha (5 May 1938 – 25 June 2021) was an Indian politician who served in the

Orissa Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises 147 Members of Legislative As ...

from 1980 until 1990. A member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

, she represented the Pottangi constituency.

Biography

Chandrama Santha was born on 5 May 1938. Her husband, , served in the

in the 1950s and 1960s. Santha worked as a farmer and was a part-time social worker. A member of the

, she was active in the

Bhoodan movement The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. It was initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village, Pochampally. The Bhoodan movement attem ...

and held several local government and party positions, serving on Pottangi's

panchayat samiti Panchayat samiti or block panchayat is a rural local government ( panchayat) body at the intermediate tehsil (taluka/mandal) or block level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. It has b ...

; as president of the

Koraput Koraput is a town and a Municipality in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. Koraput town is the district headquarter of Koraput district. History The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters in the present town o ...

branch of the

All India Mahila Congress All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), also referred to as Mahila Congress, is the women's wing of the Indian National Congress (INC). It was founded in 1940 to promote the political and social empowerment of women in India. Currently Alka Lamba he ...

; and as an executive member of the women's committee of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. In the 1980 election, Santha ran for the Orissa Legislative Assembly, standing in the Pottangi constituency, a seat reserved for members of a Scheduled Tribe. She defeated incumbent Jayaram Pangi of the

Janata Party The Janata Party (JP, ) is an unrecognised political party in India. Navneet Chaturvedi is the current president of the party since November 2021, replacing Jaiprakash Bandhu. The JP was established as an amalgam of Indian political partie ...

, receiving 62% of the vote to Pangi's 26%. She was re-elected in the 1985 election, narrowly defeating Pangi in a rematch, with 44% to Pangi's 43%. While in the legislative assembly, Santha prioritized the development of the local Scheduled Tribes; among her primary goals was the "upliftment of

Adivasi The Adivasi (also transliterated as Adibasi) are heterogeneous tribal groups across the Indian subcontinent. The term is a recent invention from the 20th century and is now widely used as a self-designation by groups classified as Scheduled Tr ...

and

Harijan Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

women", the prohibition of

dowries A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

, and the improvement of

literacy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

. Santha was defeated by Pangi in the 1990 election, receiving just 20% of the vote compared to Pangi's 71%. After her defeat, Santha remained active in local politics, serving as president of the

Koraput district Koraput district is a districts of India, district of India in southern Odisha, with its headquarters at the town of Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse mineral deposits and ...

's zila panchayat from 2002 until 2007. She died from illness on 25 June 2021, aged 83. Among those who expressed condolences were

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...

and the local MLAs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santha, Chandrama 1938 births 2021 deaths People from Koraput district 20th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Odisha Odisha district councillors Odisha MLAs 1980–1985 Odisha MLAs 1985–1990 Women members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly Adivasi politicians