India's most powerful women politicians

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India's most powerful women politicians

For the first time, 58 woman make it to the Lower House. Here is a run-down on the top 15 woman politicians in India who have made their way to the power list.

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Though Sonia Gandhi was ushered into politics by a game of fate, her decision to relinquish the PM's post in favor of Manmohan Singh not just earned her respect but also catapulted her to the position of the "real ruler." She is among the ten most powerful women in the world as the ruling party and the Prime Minister of world's largest democracy dance to her tunes.

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Mild, coy and unassuming, Pratibha Patil, India's first woman President has shown what heights women can scale in this country, only if they dream and work for it.

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Called Amma by her supporters, J Jayalalithaa, is the cult figure who has ruined the hopes of the scam-hit DMK and Congress combined by winning the Tamil Nadu polls by a sweeping majority.

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The fact that Sheila Dixit has served as Delhi's Chief Minister since 1998 speaks volumes about her clout in Indian politics. She has been handling the barbs of the opposition and discord within her party with amazing dexterity. Although under scanner for being unable to control crime in the capital, Dixit's contribution in making Delhi metro a reality and controlling pollution by making CNG the norm for heavy vehicles, cannot be forgotten.

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The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has proved that patience pays ultimately. As the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal, one of her first decisions was to return 400 acres of land to Singur farmers. She has also been credited to solving the longstanding "Gorkhaland Problem" by setting up the Gorkhaland Autonomous Council

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'Bahenji' of the downtrodden, Mayawati has not just taken Kanshi Ram's Bahujan Samaj Party to another level, but she has also worked hard to create a cult status for herself. Though accused of using her status to amass a large amount of personal wealth, she is the hope and aspiration of millions of Dalits.

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The wife of CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat and the woman's voice of the stodgy Communist Party of India-Marxist, Brinda Karat, resigned from the party's central committee once because she felt that women were not given due representation, thus proving her commitment to the cause of the weaker sex.

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The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj seems to have transformed herself as the tender face of womanhood within the BJP as she has been working hard to dilute the bitterness of the opposition. Sometimes she herself takes a tough stand when the government treads on the wrong track.

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Everything was handed to Vasundhara Raje on a platter by virtue of being born in a royal family. But with her social and political works she proved that she was a royal with a lot of insight. She became the first woman CM of a feudal Rajasthan

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A former lawyer and foreign diplomat, Meira Kumar has held various positions in the Indian government over the years. In 2009, she was elected unopposed as the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha.

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Supriya Sule is the daughter of the President of the Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar and she is the next big thing in politics. In 2012, under the leadership of Supriya Sule the wing named "Rashtravadi Yuvati Congress" was formed to give platform to young girls in politics.

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Dr. Daggubati Purandhareswari is an Indian politician from the state of Andhra Pradesh. She is currently the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

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Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed is the president of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. She is the daughter of former Home minister of India and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mehbooba is one of the few female politicians from Kashmir who is recognized across all India.

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Rabri Devi was the first woman CM of Bihar. She is Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife. She lasted three terms as the Chief Minister.

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The sanyasin has come a long way. She played a prominent role in Ayodhya movement. From being the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to Hubli riot case, Uma Bharti has been evwerywhere.