List of Successful Women Chief Ministers 

List of Women Chief Ministers of India- Part Two

Women have always played a historical role in a patriarchal culture which India is known to follow majorly. As a result, every time a woman made it to a big authority like a chief minister of a state in India, it is considered to be a big achievement for the women in India. Let us learn about some various spectacular women, who became chief minister in India despite patriarchy and stereotypical gender roles.

1. Rabri Devi (Bihar, July 1997-February 1999, March 1999-March 2000, March 2000-March 2005)

Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Prasad Yadav was pushed into politics to replace Lalu when he had to resign from the Chief Minister’s office in 1997. She was a member of Rashtriya Janata Dal party and was the elected chief minister of Bihar three times. Despite being a political novice, her work as a politician is worth remembering.

2. Sushma Swaraj (Delhi, October 1998 – December 1998)

Sushma Swaraj became the first woman chief minister of Delhi in 1998. She was a former minister of external affairs of India. She joined politics in 1970 as a student leader of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She organized protests against corruption and the tyranny of Indira Gandhi’s government. A prominent BJP member, she has been elected 7 times as a Member of Parliament and 3 times as a Member of Legislative Assembly.

Read about other women who became Chief Ministers in India Despite Patriarchy and Gender Roles

3. Sheila Dikshit (Delhi, December 1998 – December 2013)

Sheila Dikshit was India’s longest serving woman chief minister of New Delhi who experienced three consecutive victories for the Indian National Congress (INC). She was nominated as an Indian Delegate of the United Nations Commission on the issue of status of women by Indira Gandhi and represented India for five years in the same. She was a champion of women’s rights and was even behind the bars in 1990 when she organized a people’s movement against the atrocities committed on women.

4. Uma Bharti (Madhya Pradesh, December 2003 – August 2004)

Uma Bharti became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2003 but she had to resign in August 2004 when an arrest warrant was issued against her for her alleged role in the Hubli riots. She was expelled from BJP in 2005 due to indiscipline and various anti-party activities. Later, she started her own political party named Bhartiya Janashakti Party but was not that successful. She is also one of the prominent faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

5. Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan, December 2003 – December 2008, December 2013 – December 2019)

Vasundhara Raje became the first woman chief minister of Rajasthan. She is currently the national vice president of Bhartiya Janta Party. She is also known as a recipient of the United Nations ‘Women Together Award’ for her contribution towards the empowerment of women.

6. Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal, May 2011 – Present)

Mamata Banerjee became the first woman chief minister of West Bengal and also the first one to become the CM for two consecutive terms in 2016. She is also the founder of All India Trinamool Congress. She is popularly known as ‘didi’ who created history in 2011 elections, uprooting the 34-year-long rule of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the state. She is also the first woman railway minister of the country and has held this post twice. She received the 2017 UN Public Service Award on the behalf of her government for the ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’ initiative aimed at reducing high child marriage rates and increasing female education rate in the state of West Bengal.

7. Anandiben Patel (Gujarat, May 2014 – August 2016)

Anandiben Patel became the first lady to hold the office of the Chief Minister in Gujarat in 2014. Currently, she is a governor of Madhya Pradesh. Focusing on gender equity and increased participation of women in politics, she made her remark in bringing 33% reservation for women in the state police force to empower them.

8. Mehbooba Mufti (Jammu & Kashmir, April 2016 – June 2018)

Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman CM of J&K and India’s 16th woman CM in April 2016. Following Mufti Saeed’s demise, Mehbooba, the president of the PDP, became the undisputed choice to take over her father’s position, becoming the second Muslim woman to head an Indian state. She came into political limelight during the 1996 Assembly elections when she won from the Bijbehara constituency.

Conclusion:

These women not only made their presence in the political landscape but also inspired the women of our country to actively engage in political processes. They became great leaders of the nation and made it to history with some bold decisions in their tenure breaking the stereotype on gender roles.

Check our Instagram: Ownguru

Facebook: Ownguru

If you have an interesting write-up or any suggestion, write to us at ownguru@gmail.com