Meira Kumar | |
|---|---|
 Kumar in 2013 | |
| 15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha | |
| In office 4 June 2009 – 11 June 2014 | |
| President | |
| Deputy | Kariya Munda |
| Leader of the House | |
| Preceded by | Somnath Chatterjee |
| Succeeded by | Sumitra Mahajan |
| Union Minister of Water Resources | |
| In office 22 May 2009 – 25 May 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Cabinet | Manmohan II |
| Preceded by | Saifuddin Soz |
| Succeeded by | Pawan Kumar Bansal |
| Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment | |
| In office 22 May 2004 – 22 May 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Cabinet | Manmohan II |
| Preceded by | Satyanarayan Jatiya |
| Succeeded by | Selja Kumari |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2004–2014 | |
| Preceded by | Muni Lall |
| Succeeded by | Chhedi Paswan |
| Constituency | Sasaram, Bihar |
| In office 1996–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Kalka Dass |
| Succeeded by | Anita Arya |
| Constituency | Karol Bagh, Delhi |
| In office 1985–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Chowdhary Girdhari Lal |
| Succeeded by | Mayawati |
| Constituency | Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh (by-poll) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 March 1945 Arrah, Bihar, British India (present day Bihar, India) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Other political affiliations | United Progressive Alliance |
| Spouse |
Manjul Kumar (m. 1968) |
| Relations | Sumitra Devi (mother-in-law) |
| Children | 3 (1 son and 2 daughters) |
| Parent(s) | Jagjivan Ram (father) Indrani Devi (mother) |
| Residence | Kalkaji, South East Delhi |
| Alma mater | Faculty of Law, University of Delhi |
Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress, she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the Minister of Water Resources for a brief period in 2009. She served as the 15th Speaker of Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, being the first woman to hold the post. Kumar became just the second woman to be nominated for president of India by a major political block when she secured the United Progressive Alliance's nomination in 2017.
Prior to being a member of the 15th Lok Sabha, Kumar had been elected earlier to the 8th, 11th, 12th and 14th Lok Sabha. Kumar was the joint presidential candidate by the leading opposition parties for 2017 presidential election and lost the election to the NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind. Meira Kumar's vote share is the third highest for a losing candidate, that of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy in the 1969 Presidential elections and K. Subba Rao in 1967 Presidential elections.