Bonily Khongmen

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]

Bonily Khongmen
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1952-1957
Succeeded byGeorge Gilbert Swell
ConstituencyAutonomous District, Assam
Personal details
Born(1912-06-25)25 June 1912
Jowai, West Jaintia, Assam, British India (present-day Meghalaya, India)
Died17 March 2007(2007-03-17) (aged 94)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Source:

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
  1. Kabon Neli (Khongmen) Timungpi: the first woman from Northeast India to be a Member of Parliament (M.P.)
  2. 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.
  3. 1st Lok Sabha Assam (2012-08-13). Retrieved on 2012-08-13. Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Woman MP of first Parliament passes away (2007-03-18) . Retrieved on 2012-08-13.
  5. Khongmen, first woman MP from NE, passes away (2007-03-18) . Retrieved on 2012-08-13.
  6. "Members Bioprofile". 164.100.47.194. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  7. Nag, Sajal (2007). Making of the Indian union: merger of princely states and excluded areas. Akansha Publishing House. p. 177. ISBN 9788183701105.
  8. Proceedings of North East India History Association (Volume 21). 2000. p. 203.
  9. Statistical Report on General Elections, 1951 to the First Lok Sabha (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 68.
  10. Hazarika, Niru (1979). Public Service Commissions: A Study. Leeladevi Publications. p. 47. ISBN 9780391018471.
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