Maneka Gandhi

Maneka Gandhi
Gandhi in 2014
Minister of Women and Child Development, Government Of India
In office 26 May 2014 (2014-05-26) – 24 May 2019 (2019-05-24)
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
Preceded by	Krishna Tirath
Succeeded by	Smriti Irani
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 23 May 2019 (2019-05-23) – 4 June 2024
Preceded by	Varun Gandhi
Succeeded by	Rambhual Nishad
Constituency	Sultanpur
In office 2014 (2014)–2019 (2019)
Preceded by	Varun Gandhi
Succeeded by	Varun Gandhi
Constituency	Pilibhit
In office 2009 (2009)–2014 (2014)
Preceded by	Sarvraj Singh
Succeeded by	Dharmendra Kashyap
Constituency	Aonla
In office 1996 (1996)–2009 (2009)
Preceded by	Parshuram Gangwar
Succeeded by	Varun Gandhi
Constituency	Pilibhit
In office 1989 (1989)–1991 (1991)
Preceded by	Bhanu Pratap Singh
Succeeded by	Parshuram Gangwar
Constituency	Pilibhit
Minister of State for Programme Implementation and Statistics (Independent Charge), Government Of India
In office 18 November 2001 (2001-11-18) – 30 June 2002 (2002-06-30)
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
In office January 1990 – April 1990
Prime Minister	Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Government Of India
In office 1 September 2001 (2001-09-01) – 18 November 2001 (2001-11-18)
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government Of India
In office 13 October 1999 (1999-10-13) – 1 September 2001 (2001-09-01)
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment and Forests, Government Of India
In office December 1989 – June 1991
Prime Minister	Vishwanath Pratap Singh Chandra Shekhar
Dean of the 17th Lok Sabha[1]
In office 2019 (2019)–2024 (2024)
Preceded by	Somnath Chatterjee (2009)
Personal details
Born	Maneka Anand (1956-08-26) 26 August 1956 (age 68) New Delhi, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Other political affiliations	Rashtriya Sanjay Manch (1983 – 1988) Janata Dal (1988 – 1998) Independent (1998 – 2004)
Spouse	Sanjay Gandhi ​ ​ (m. 1974; died 1980)​
Children	Varun Gandhi
Relatives	See Nehru–Gandhi family
Occupation	Politician Animal-rights activist Environmentalist
As of 27 May, 2014 Source: Government of India

Maneka Gandhi (also spelled Menaka; née Anand) (born 26 August 1956) is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. She served as a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is the widow of Indian politician Sanjay Gandhi. Gandhi has held ministerial positions in four governments, most recently serving in Narendra Modi's government from May 2014 to May 2019.

In addition to her political work, Gandhi is an author, with several books on etymology, law, and animal rights.