Maneka Gandhi is an animal rights activist, environmentalist, former model and widow of the Indian politician, Sanjay Gandhi. She was born in Delhi in 1956 to a Sikh family and is a Lady Sriram College for Women and Jawaharlal Nehru University alumnus. She was married to Sanjay Gandhi, son of Indira Gandhi, at the age of 18 years only.
When Maneka was just 23 years and her son (Varun Gandhi), just 100 days old, Sanjay died in an air crash. Three years later, Maneka formed her own party Rashtriya Sanjay Manch focusing on youth empowerment and employment. The party won 4 of the 5 seats it contested in Andhra Pradesh state elections. She contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1984 as an independent candidate from Amethi against Rajiv Gandhi. But riding the massive sympathy due to Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the latter won and eventually became the Prime Minister of India. In 1988, Maneka merged her party with Janata Dal and became its General Secretary. The party won the general elections and at 33, Maneka Gandhi became India’s youngest Minister (as Minister of Environment & Forests in two successive governments). Contesting as an Independent candidate from Pilibhit, Maneka was re-elected in 1996 and again in 1998 with among the highest margins of victory in the country. In 1999, Maneka lent support to the BJP led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and when the party was elected to power, Maneka became Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. She joined the BJP in 2014, and again contested and won from Pilibhit.
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