Rukmini Laxmipathi (also spelled as Rukmani Lakshmipathi; 6 December 1892 – 6 August 1951) was an Indian independence activist and politician belonging to 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 was the first woman to be elected to the Madras Legislature and the first to serve as a minister in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

Biography

Rukmini was born in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

in an agriculturist family. Her grandfather was the landlord Raja T. Ramrao. She obtained her B.A from the Women's Christian College, Madras and married Dr. Achanta Laxmipathi. She was secretary of the Madras branch of the Bharat Stree Mahamandal (The Great Circle of Indian Women). In 1923, she joined the Congress. In 1926, she attended the International Women's Suffrage Alliance Congress at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as the Indian representative. For her participation (in 1930) in the Salt Satyagraha in Vedaranyam she was jailed for a year, becoming the first female prisoner in the Salt Satyagraha movement. She contested and won a by election to the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

in 1934. She was elected to the Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly in the

1937 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1937. Asia * 1937 Philippine local elections * 1937 Iranian legislative election * 1937 Soviet Union legislative election India * 1937 Indian provincial elections * 1937 Madras Presidency legislative a ...

. On 15 July 1937 she was elected as the Deputy

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the assembly. During 1 May 1946 – 23 March 1947, she was the Minister for Public Health of the presidency in the T. Prakasam cabinet. She was the first (and only) woman minister of the presidency. Marshall's road in

Egmore Egmore is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River, Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub. The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

has been renamed after her. In her memory, a postage stamp was issued in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakshmipathi, Rukmini Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Politicians from Chennai Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu 1892 births 1951 deaths Tamil Nadu ministers 20th-century Indian politicians Indian tax resisters