Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Indian diplomat and politician Date of Birth: 18.08.1900 Country: India

1. Biography of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
2. Political Career
3. First Female President of the UN General Assembly
4. Later Life and Criticism

Biography of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was an Indian diplomat and politician, as well as the sister of India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She was born into one of the most prominent families in the country, with her father Motilal Nehru being a former President of the Indian National Congress.

Political Career

In 1921, she married Ranjit Sitaram Pandit, who passed away on January 14, 1944. Vijaya Pandit became the first Indian woman to hold a position in the government. In 1937, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces and was appointed as the Minister for Local Self-Government and Public Health. She held this position until 1939 and then from 1946 to 1947. In 1946, she was elected to the Constituent Assembly from the United Provinces.

After India gained independence from British rule in 1947, Vijaya Pandit joined the diplomatic service and served as India's Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1947-1949), the United States and Mexico (1949-1951), Ireland (1955-1961) (and concurrently as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom), and Spain (1958-1961). From 1946 to 1968, she also led India's delegation to the United Nations.

First Female President of the UN General Assembly

In 1953, Vijaya Pandit became the first woman to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Later Life and Criticism

In India, Vijaya Pandit served as the Governor of Maharashtra from 1962 to 1964, with a brief break in between. After her term as Governor, she was elected to the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1968. However, her relationship with her niece, Indira Gandhi, soured after Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966. Following the strained relationship, Vijaya Pandit withdrew from active political life.

After retiring from politics, Vijaya Pandit moved to Dehradun in the Doon Valley, at the foothills of the Himalayas. In 1979, she was appointed as India's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Her daughter, Nayantara Sahgal, is a renowned Indian writer.