Vilasini Menon

Vilasini Menon was a Singaporean lawyer and politician. She became the first woman elected to national office in Singapore when she was elected to the Legislative Council in 1951.

Vilasini Menon
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
1951–1952
Succeeded byM. P. D. Nair
ConstituencySeletar

Biography

Menon attended the University of Madras and worked as a lawyer.[1][2]

In the April 1951 elections she contested the Seletar constituency as an independent candidate, defeating two men to win with 43% of the vote.[3] She was the only independent candidate to be elected the council,[4] and was one of two female members alongside Elizabeth Choy, who was nominated by the Governor.[5]

However, after Menon and her husband were charged with a criminal breach of trust in India, she resigned from the council on 25 September 1952. Although she was acquitted in February the following year, she did not return to politics.[6]

References
  1. Chor Lin Lee, Chung May Khuen & May Khuen Chung (2012) In the Mood for Cheongsam, p152
  2. Aline Kan Wong & Wai Kum Leong (1993) Singapore Women: Three Decades of Change, Times Academic Press, p285
  3. Legislative Council general election 1951: Seletar Singapore Elections
  4. Six elected: Labour gets 2 seats: Woman Independent wins The Straits Times, 11 April 1951
  5. C.M. Turnbull (2009) A History of Modern Singapore, 1819-2005, p284
  6. Legislative Council by-election 1952 Singapore Elections
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