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
Died17 March 2007(2007-03-17) (aged 94)
Political partyIndian National Congress

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. https://books.google.com/books?id=w3UMAQAAMAAJ&q=Making+of+the+Indian+union:+merger+of+princely+states+and+excluded+areas&dq=Making+of+the+Indian+union:+merger+of+princely+states+and+excluded+areas&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8g7KSh67VAhULvo8KHQT1AnYQ6AEIJTAA: Akansha Publishing House. p. 177.CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. Proceedings of North East India History Association (Volume 21). https://books.google.com/books?id=LDhuAAAAMAAJ&q=bonily+khongmen&dq=bonily+khongmen&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y. 2000. p. 203.
  9. Statistical Report on General Elections, 1951 to the First Lok Sabha. http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF: Election Commission of India. p. 68.CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. Hazarika, Niru (1979). Public Service Commissions: A Study. https://books.google.com/books?id=CwwIAAAAMAAJ&q=bonily+khongmen&dq=bonily+khongmen&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y: Leeladevi Publications. p. 47.
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