Sulochana Ramakant Katkar (1929–2012) was an Indian politician and 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 ...

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. She served as a nominated member of the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1989 and was the longest-serving president of the

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Goa Pradesh Congress Committee or (Goa PCC) is the state unit of Indian National Congress for the State of Goa. It is responsible for organizing and coordinating the party's activities and campaigns within the state, as well as selecting cand ...

(GPCC).

Early life and political career

Katkar was born in Bandora in

Ponda taluka Ponda ''Tehsil, taluka'' is a subdivision of the district of north Goa district, north Goa, in the India, Indian state of Goa. Its administrative headquarters is the township of Ponda, Goa, Ponda. Location Located in central Goa, it hosts many ed ...

, Goa. She joined the

in the late 1970s and worked alongside Purushottam Kakodkar, R. Deshprabhu, and Praful Priolkar. She was associated with then-Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

during the formation of the government in 1980.

Legislative tenure

In the 1980 and 1984 elections, the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly did not have any elected female members. To address this, Chief Minister

Pratapsingh Rane Pratapsingh Raoji Rane (born 28 January 1939) is an Indian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of Goa a record seven times and was also the former Leader Of Opposition in the Goa Legislative Assembly. He has been a Member of Legis ...

nominated Katkar, along with Phyllis Faria and Sangeeta Parab, to the assembly for the term 1984–1989. This nomination was intended to ensure representation for women and other underrepresented groups.

GPCC presidency

Katkar served as the president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee for an extended period. During her tenure, she contributed to the party's activities and organizational work in Goa. She was known for her firm approach in maintaining party discipline and policies.

Death and legacy

Sulochana Katkar died on 22 September 2012 at the age of 83, in a private hospital in

Margao Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa, and administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district. It is Goa's second largest ci ...

, Goa, after a brief illness. She had undergone backbone surgery before she died. The GPCC honored her contributions during the 30th anniversary of Goa's statehood in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katkar, Sulochana 1929 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Indian women politicians Women members of the Goa Legislative Assembly Goa MLAs 1984–1989