Sumitra Singh (born 3 May 1930) is a veteran Indian politician whose political career spans more than five decades. She became the first woman speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 2004 to 2009. She was elected to the

Rajasthan Legislative Assembly The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, also known as the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha, is the unicameral legislature of the state of Rajasthan. It is a vital part of the state government, responsible for making and implementing laws. The assembly meets ...

for nine terms, out of which in three terms she represented Pilani constituency while she represented Jhunjhunu constituency for six terms. She is one of the most successful woman politicians of Rajasthan.

Early life and education

She was born on 3 May 1930 in Kisari village of

Jhunjhunu district Jhunjhunu district is a district of the Indian state of Rajasthan in northern India. The city of Jhunjhunu is the district headquarters. Jhunjhunu is an old and historical town having its own district headquarters. The district is famous for th ...

in the Indian state of Rajasthan. She did

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Hindi literature Hindi literature () includes literature in the various Central Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Hindi, some of which have different writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃśa such as Awad ...

from

Banasthali Vidyapith Banasthali Vidyapith, also known as Banasthali University, is a private women's university located in Tonk district, Rajasthan, India. The university offers programs at the secondary, senior secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate degree le ...

Political career

Sumitra Singh political career spans over five decades. She began her political journey in 1957 when she was first elected to the

from the

Pilani Pilani is a town located in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India. The town is well known as the location of BITS Pilani. Demographics , Pilani has a population of 29,741 of which 51% are males and 49% females. The average literacy rate is ...

constituency. She represented Pilani until 1962, after which she served as the MLA for the

Jhunjhunu Jhunjhunu is a city and municipal council in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jhunjhunu district. It is also the largest city of the Shekhawati region, which includes Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar ...

constituency from 1962 to 1980. Returning to

, she was re-elected for two consecutive terms from 1985 to 1992. Singh then represented

again from 1998 to 2008, completing a total of nine terms in the Rajasthan assembly. In 2004, she made history by becoming the first woman Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, a position she held until 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Sumitra Rajasthani people Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Rajasthan Women members of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1930 births Living people People from Jhunjhunu district 21st-century Indian women politicians Rajasthan MLAs 1957–1962 Rajasthan MLAs 1962–1967 Rajasthan MLAs 1967–1972 Rajasthan MLAs 1972–1977 Rajasthan MLAs 1977–1980 Rajasthan MLAs 1985–1990 Rajasthan MLAs 1990–1992 Rajasthan MLAs 1998–2003 Rajasthan MLAs 2003–2008 Indian National Congress politicians from Rajasthan 20th-century Indian women politicians Women legislative speakers in India Lok Dal politicians Janata Dal politicians