Sucheta Kripalani became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1963. Born in 1908 in present-day Haryana’s Ambala, Kripalani completed her education from Delhi’s Indraprastha College, before moving on to teach Constitutional History at Banaras Hindu University. Kripalani also established the women’s wing of the Congress party in 1940.
Her role in shaping the contours of an independent India is notable, for she was a member of the Constituent Assembly tasked with formulating the seminal document that would be governing the newly-independent country. She took over as the chief minister of UP from Chandra Bhanu Gupta and occupied the top post till 1967.
Sucheta was married to prominent freedom fighter and politician, Acharya JB Kripalani.
Interestingly, while Acharya became a prominent opponent of Congress and even established a party called Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party (KMPP), Sucheta (apart from a short stint with KMPP) continued to be loyal to the Congress.
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