For Indian women, it's not easy to make a mark in politics as it is dominated by males. Society, traditionally, has not encouraged women to join politics. Fortunately enough, the Indian society has come far from not letting women study to supporting them with full force. Although the political class of our country is not famous for their educational qualification, certain women like to stand out. Having expertise in certain fields does benefit politicians greatly as greater efficiency is achieved. From our current Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to AAP Member Atishi Marlena, Kiran Bedi to Meenakshi Lekhi, here are 7 women who have excelled in their education:
Nirmala Sitharaman is a BJP politician that currently serves in the Union Finance Ministry. She holds various degrees in economics. She did her college at the Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. She then went on to obtain a Master of Arts degree in economics and M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Najma Heptulla is an Indian politician from the Bhartiya Janata Party. She was the Governor of Manipur until early August of 2021. She is the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. She did her schooling at Motilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya, Bhopal, and obtained an M.Sc. and a PhD degree, both in Zoology from Vikram University, Ujjain.
Atishi Marlena is a politician from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. She was born in an educated family and went on to do wonder herself. She finished high school at Springdales School, New Delhi. She graduated in history from St. Stephen's College, Delhi then studied at Oxford University. In 2005 she went to Magdalen College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She is presently a member of the Delhi Assembly and represents the Kalkaji constituency.
Kiran Bedi is a politician and an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. She started her school at Sacred Heart Convent School in Amritsar. She graduated in 1968, with a BA in English, from Government College for Women at Amritsar. In 1970, she obtained a master's degree in political science from Panjab University, Chandigarh. During her career in the Indian Police Service, she also earned a law degree from the Faculty of Law, the University of Delhi in 1988 and a PhD from IIT Delhi's Department of Social Sciences in 1993.
Anupriya Patel is a BJP politician currently serving as Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India. She has a master’s degree in Psychology and also a master in Business Administration (MBA) and has taught at Amity. She was educated at Lady Shri Ram College for Women.
Meenakshi Lekhi is a BJP politician and the current Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India. She is a Supreme Court Lawyer and Social Worker. Lekhi did her bachelor's degree from Hindu College, after which she joined the Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, the University of Delhi from where she pursued her law degree from 1987-1990.
Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar is a BJP politician currently serving as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. She is a trained doctor and holds an MBBS degree in Surgery from NDMVPS Medical College, Nashik.
