India’s parliament has elected its first woman Speaker after a sweeping victory for the Congress party in recent general elections.

Ms Kumar's election as Speaker had the support of Congress and the BJP

Meira Kumar, 64, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in parliament. She belongs to the low-caste Dalit – formerly untouchable – community. She had been sworn in as a cabinet minister, but resigned on Sunday after Congress offered her the Speaker’s job. Parliament’s newly-elected lower house began its first session on Monday. As soon as the Lok Sabha [lower house of parliament] met on Wednesday, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi proposed Ms Kumar as the Speaker of the new house. Leader of opposition LK Advani [of the Bharatiya Janata Party] and other political leaders seconded her name. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Advani then accompanied her to the Speaker’s chair to complete the formality.

‘Historic’

Ms Kumar, who has been elected to parliament five times, is the daughter of the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister of India. She has described her nomination as “a rare historic opportunity”. “Historic because a woman has been considered for this very important and august position,” she told reporters. Ms Kumar was earlier sworn in as a minister and given charge of the water resources ministry. Analysts say naming her as Speaker works to the advantage of the Congress as it helps the party position itself as pro-women. It also projects Congress as a party which is concerned about the welfare of the low-caste Dalits who have faced discrimination from upper-caste Hindus for centuries.