Sumati Suklikar (24 December 1923 - 22 February 2011),was an Indian politician. She was a leader of

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

and its precursor

Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh) was a Hindutva political party active in India. It was established on 21 October 1951 in Delhi by three founding members: Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Balraj Madhok and Deendayal ...

, and was from

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. She contested elections for

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (ISO: ''Mahārāṣṭra Vidhāna Sabhā'') is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of Maharashtra state in western India. It consists of 288 members directly elected from single-seat constituenci ...

four times in 1960s and 1970s. She died on 22 February 2011 due to old age. The first time she contested an assembly election, in 1962, from Nagpur West, she stood fourth. Gradually, her party's popularity increased and she came second the next 3 times, but she could never win the seat. After losing in 1978, she retired from electoral politics, but remained an active worker with BJP. She had a brother-like relation with the veteran

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

leader A. B. Bardhan from Nagpur. Although they contested elections against each other. Sumatitai was like an elder sister to Bardhan. In 2018,

state government launched a scheme named 'Sumatibai Suklikar Yojana' in Sumati-bai's memory to effect social upliftment of women in rural parts of the state. Alankar Talkies Chowk, Ambazari Road,

, Maharashtra was renamed after her as "Lokmata Sumatitai Suklikar Chowk" and a copper mural was installed there as a tribute to her social and political work. It was inaugurated by the then" Minister for Road Transport and Highways

Nitin Gadkari Nitin Jairam Gadkari (; born 27 May 1957) is an Indian politician who serves as the 40th Minister of Road Transport & Highways in the Government of India since 2014. He is also the longest serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways, current ...

" on 18 June 2023.

References

Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Maharashtra 1923 births 2011 deaths Politicians from Nagpur Women in Maharashtra politics Marathi politicians 20th-century Indian women politicians Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians People from Buldhana {{Maharashtra-BJP-politician-stub