Who among the following is the first woman Speaker in Lok Sabha?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Meira Kumar. Elected on 4 June 2009 as the 15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar became the first woman ever to hold the office and served the full term of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014). A five-time MP and former Indian Foreign Service officer, she is the daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister Jagjivan Ram.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Urmila Singh served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh (2010-2015); she was never a Speaker of the Lok Sabha.  (c) Pratibha Patil was the first woman President of India (2007-2012), not a Lok Sabha Speaker — a common mix-up of two 'first woman' constitutional milestones.  (d) Sushma Swaraj was Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and later External Affairs Minister, but she never held the office of Speaker.

Concept: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over the House, is elected by its members (Article 93), and enjoys wide powers over debate, order and the certification of Money Bills. Meira Kumar's 2009 election made her the first woman to occupy this Chair in independent India's history.

State PCS 2023 Q17 — Polity & Governance PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q17 — Polity & Governance PYQ with Answer