India has had 26 chief election commissioners; only one was a woman

Since 1950, India has had 26 Chief Election Commissioners. Only one was a woman – V S Ramadevi. Born in Andhra Pradesh in 1934, Ramadevi was a lawyer who became Secretary of the Legislative Department in the Law Ministry.

She took charge as CEC on 26 November 1990, a day after then CEC R V S Peri Sastri died in office. Her appointment came amid political turmoil – V P Singh had just lost a trust vote and Chandra Shekhar had become Prime Minister.

Her tenure lasted just 16 days, ending on 11 December 1990. The next day, T N Seshan took over. Though the ECI officially lists her as the 9th CEC, some former officials have described her stint as a temporary arrangement.

Ramadevi’s career, however, went far beyond those 16 days. She became the first woman Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha in 1993 and the first woman Governor of Karnataka in 1999.

More than seven decades after the ECI was formed, she remains the only woman to have headed India’s election machinery.