Dil Kumari Bhandari

Dil Kumari Bhandari Biography

Dil Kumari Bhandari is an Indian politician from the state of Sikhim, and one the prominent women leaders. She is best known as the first woman politician from Sikhim to be elected to Lok Sabha. She made it history when she got elected to parliament for the first time in 1985. She got elected for the second time in 1991. She served as a member of Lok Sabha twice during the terms, May 1985-27 November 1989 and 20 June 1991 – 10 May 1996. She is the wife of well-known politician Nar Bahadur Bhandari who served as the second CM of Sikhim during 18 October 1979 – 11 May 1984. He passed away in 2017.

Dil Kumari Bhandari was born on 14 May 1949 in Bana Puttabong village of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. She studied up to pre- university level. She got married to prominent politician and regional leader, Nar Bahadur Bhandari. She got into active politics only after her marriage. She worked as a teacher, social worker and journalist as well, before she turned an active politician. She is associated with Sikkim Sangram Parishad, a regional party of Sikhim since then. She had a brief stint with Indian National Congress in the late 1980s.

She got elected to parliament for the first time in 1985 in a by-election as a candidate of Sikkim Sangram Parishad, thus becoming the first female politician from the state to become a Lok Sabha member. She got elected for the second time in 1991. In fact when she contested Lok sabha elections in 1984, she lost. But Nar Bahadur Bhandari had to quit his seat in parliament to become the chief minister of Sikhim. Thus a by- election was ordered in April 1985. She was one among the 9 contestants who filed the nomination, and she got elected.

Published: February 27, 2019

Updated: February 27, 2019