Bonily Khongmen | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1952-1957 | |
| Succeeded by | George Gilbert Swell |
| Constituency | Autonomous District, Assam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1912 Jowai, West Jaintia, Assam, British India (present-day Meghalaya, India) |
| Died | 17 March 2007 (aged 94) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Source: | |
Bonily Khongmen (25 June 1912 – 17 March 2007) was an Indian politician in the Indian National Congress Party.[1] She was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from the Autonomous District constituency Assam in 1952. She was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha.She was also the Deputy Speaker in Assam assembly.[2][3][4][5]
Early life and career
Khongmen was educated at Welsh Mission Girls' High School, Shillong, and Diocesan College, Calcutta.[6] Between 1932 and 1946, she worked in education, as headmistress of Golaghat Girls' School (1932–33), Assamese Girls School, Shillong (1935-1940), and Lady Reid School, Shillong (1940-1946).[6]
Political career
In 1946, Khongmen participated in the provincial elections to the Assam legislative assembly, contesting and winning the Shillong reserved seat, which was then part of Assam.[7] She was subsequently elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, the first woman to serve in that position.[8] Khongmen contested the first Lok Sabha election in 1951 from the Autonomous District constituency of Assam.[9] She won the election with 54% of the vote, defeating Wilson Reade of the KJD who was runner-up with 30% of the votes.[9]
Other career
After serving as an MP in the first Lok Sabha, Khongmen served as the first female Chairperson of the Assam Public Service Commission.[10]
Personal life
She played the violin, and took an interest in spinning and weaving clothes, collecting books, gardening, reading, and knitting.[6]
References
- ↑ Kabon Neli (Khongmen) Timungpi: the first woman from Northeast India to be a Member of Parliament (M.P.)
- ↑ Name of Deputy Speakers of Assam Legislative Assembly since 1937 . http://assamassembly.gov.in/dyspeaker-list.html(2012-08-13) Archived 13 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2012-08-13.
- ↑ 1st Lok Sabha Assam (2012-08-13). Retrieved on 2012-08-13. Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Woman MP of first Parliament passes away (2007-03-18) . Retrieved on 2012-08-13.
- ↑ Khongmen, first woman MP from NE, passes away (2007-03-18) . Retrieved on 2012-08-13.
- 1 2 3 "Members Bioprofile". 164.100.47.194. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ↑ Nag, Sajal (2007). Making of the Indian union: merger of princely states and excluded areas. Akansha Publishing House. p. 177. ISBN 9788183701105.
- ↑ Proceedings of North East India History Association (Volume 21). 2000. p. 203.
- 1 2 Statistical Report on General Elections, 1951 to the First Lok Sabha (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 68.
- ↑ Hazarika, Niru (1979). Public Service Commissions: A Study. Leeladevi Publications. p. 47. ISBN 9780391018471.