Meira Kumar, the Presidential Candidate

As the Presidential elections are making headlines. India being the largest democracy in the world, euphoria surrounds around who would be the next Head of the State, the next first citizen to hold the President's office. There are several distinguished nominations one of them is the opposition's candidate Meira Kumar, an Indian Politician and Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Here are a few facts about the Meira Kumar.

1.  Meira Kumar was born on 31st March 1945 in Arrah district of Bihar, to the Deputy Prime  Minister of India and Prominent Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram and a freedom fighter Indrani Davi.

2.  Kumar holds a Law Degree and Masters in English Literature from Indraprastha College and Miranda House, Delhi University.

3.  Kumar is the former Indian Diplomat. She joined the Indian Foreign Service 1970 and served in embassies in Mauritius, Spain and United Kingdom.

4. Kumar joined politics in 1985 and managed to defeat the prominent Dalit leaders like Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati.

5. Kumar served as the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and she is the first woman to hold the office of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. 

Article 61 of the Constitution of India states that the President is the foremost, the most empowered and prompt defender of the Constitution. Meira Kumar has an illustrious career in public service and is known for maintaining her composure even during the debates and the violence at the Lok Sabha. She is spirited and driven and is absolutely qualified to hold the office as the head of the state. Amartya Sen quotes "The President should be the voice of sanity and fairness and a strong President can inspire us to stand up for the fairness of all sections of the people." We can hope that our 14th President if not a rubber stamp but can be a decorated rubber stamp.