Kumari Selja Biography: Early Life, Education, Family and Political Career

Name: Kumari Selja

Mother’s Name: Mrs. Kalavati Devi

Father’s Name: Mr. Chaudhary Dalbir Singh

Education: MA and M. Phil

Date of Birth / Age: September 24, 1962

Place of Birth: Parbhuvala, Hisar

Profession / Occupation: Politician

Political Party: Congress

Position: Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Sirsa

Spouse’s Name: Unmarried

Brother: Not known

Sister: Late Natasha Ranga

Allegations: No allegations

Foreign Travel: Italy, Cyprus, etc.

Caste and Religion: Dalit, Hindu

Kumari Selja inherited her political legacy from her father, Chaudhary Dalbir Singh. Selja hails from the Dalit community in Haryana. She is one of the most prominent female politicians in Haryana’s political landscape. Her political journey has been extensive, and she is often regarded as one of the foremost Dalit leaders in Haryana. Over her 35-year political career, Selja has held various positions and has worked extensively for women empowerment and the upliftment of marginalized communities.

Kumari Selja’s Education

She completed her early education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Delhi. Later, she obtained her MA and M. Phil degrees from Punjab University. After completing her education, Selja entered politics and has been active in the country's political sphere for the past 35 years.

Kumari Selja’s Family Life

Her father, Chaudhary Dalbir Singh, was the President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and served as General Secretary of the AICC and a Union Minister. Her mother was a homemaker. Kumari Selja's elder sister, Natasha Ranga, who was married to IAS officer Dr. R.K. Ranga, passed away in 2022. Selja, who remains unmarried, has had a long political career. Her father served as a Member of Parliament from Sirsa three times, and he was elected from the Tohana constituency in the 1952 general elections, but his election was cancelled due to his young age.

Kumari Selja’s Political Career

Kumari Selja has extensive experience in organizational work, and in a way, Sirsa has been her working ground. After her father’s death, in 1988, she stepped into electoral politics by contesting in the by-elections in Sirsa, although she lost her first Lok Sabha election to Hetraram of the Janata Dal. Despite the loss, she succeeded in making her mark and became the President of the Women’s Congress in 1990.

In 1991, she was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency. During this time, she served as the Minister of State for Education and Culture in the Congress government led by P. V. Narasimha Rao. In 1996, she was re-elected from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat. Subsequently, she was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Ambala Lok Sabha seat in the 2004 and 2009 elections. From 2004 to 2014, in the UPA government, she held various ministerial positions, including Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Minister of State for Tourism, and Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. She is known for her deep interest in air quality regulation, elimination of air pollution, and pollution parameters for industrial units. She has also worked on raising awareness about the effects of global warming. As an MP, she raised questions in Parliament about providing electricity to farmers through renewable energy sources and promoting renewable energy.

In 2014, Selja was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from her home state of Haryana. In 2019, she contested again from the Ambala Lok Sabha seat but lost to BJP leader Ratan Lal Kataria. After this, her interest in state politics grew. Just before the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, on September 4, 2019, she became the first woman president of the Haryana Congress. She led the Haryana Pradesh Congress for about 28 months. Later, on December 24, 2023, she was appointed as the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee and in charge of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee. In the 2024 elections, she defeated BJP leader Ashok Tanwar by approximately 2,680 votes.

Kumari Selja’s Achievements

As a politician, Kumari Selja has numerous accomplishments. These include serving as a five-time Member of Parliament, once as a Rajya Sabha MP, and holding various responsibilities, including being a member of the Governing Board of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum in 2005, leading the Commonwealth Advisory Group on Human Settlements, and serving as the Minister of State for Education and Culture.

Five-time Lok Sabha MP: (1991, 1996, 2004, 2009, 2024)

One-time Rajya Sabha MP: (2014 to 2020)

President of Haryana Pradesh Congress: (2019 to 2022)

One-time Union Minister.

Controversies Related to Kumari Selja

Politicians have a long-standing relationship with controversies, and many leaders in our country have been involved in them. Kumari Selja's political career has also faced controversies.

In March 2011, a petition was filed in the Punjab-Haryana High Court, alleging her involvement in fraud, criminal intimidation, fabricated stories, and criminal conspiracy. The petitioner and lawyer B.S. Chahar accused her of assisting in inciting Jat leaders against the Valmiki community in the Mirchpur case and trying to avoid legal consequences by pressuring undertrial prisoners to sign blank and non-judicial documents.

In the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, Kumari Selja was serving as the state in-charge. During this time, former Congress leader Arun Tiwari released an audio accusing her of selling tickets for money. Later, the person in the audio, Bilaspur Mayor Ramsharan Yadav, denied the allegations of any transactions related to ticket sales.

Kumari Selja’s Assets

According to the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission for the 2024 general elections, her total movable and immovable assets amounted to over ₹31.68 crore. She owns a Honda City car and two bungalows in Hisar. Additionally, she has five joint properties in Gurugram and Faridabad and approximately 8 acres of joint land. Kumari Selja is said to have an interest in buying shares, holding shares worth ₹1.35 crore in 12 companies and shares worth ₹6.42 lakh in two companies. Additionally, she has invested around ₹93.41 lakh in mutual funds. There are no allegations of any financial transactions against her.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kumari Selja

Question: Where was Kumari Selja born?

Answer: Parbhuvala, Haryana.

Question: What are the names of Kumari Selja’s parents?

Answer: Mother: Kalavati Devi, Father: Chaudhary Dalbir Singh.

Question: When and where did Kumari Selja contest her first election?

Answer: She contested from Sirsa Lok Sabha, Haryana in 1991.

Question: How many times has Kumari Selja been a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP?

Answer: Five times in Lok Sabha and once in Rajya Sabha.

Question: When was Kumari Selja the President of Haryana Congress?

Answer: From 2019 to 2022.