| Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900 - 1990) |
Born in 1900, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru and daughter of Pandit Motilal Nehru. After receiving a private education in India and abroad, she married Ranjit Sitaram Pandit a fellow Congressman. She became an active worker in the Indian nationalist movement and was imprisoned three times by the British. She was the first woman to hold a cabinet portfolio.
After Independence she entered distinguish diplomatic career, leading Indian delegation to UN, serving as India's Ambassador. In 1953 Pandit became the first woman to be elected president of the UN General Assembly thereafter till 1961 she was Indian high commissioner in London. From 1964 to 1968 she was a member of the Indian Lok Sabha.
In 1977 Pandit left the Congress Party to join the Congress for Democracy, which had merged with the Janata Party.
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| Category filed under: Political |
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