Margaret Alva Age, Caste, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Real name	Margaret Nazareth Note: She changed her name from Margaret Nazareth to Margaret Alva after her marriage. [1]The Times of India
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC)
Political Journey	• Convenor of Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress (1972-1973) • Member of Rajya Sabha (1974-1980) • Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of External Affairs (1974-1980) • Convenor of Congress Parliamentary Party (1975-1976) • Member of Committee on Information and Broadcasting (1975-1976) • Executive of Congress Parliamentary Party (1975-1976) • Joint Secretary of All India Congress Committee (1975-1977) • General Secretary of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (Karnataka PCC) (1978-1980) • Became member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha in 1974 • Re-elected as a member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha in 1980 • Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of External Affairs (1980-1986) • Member of Panel of Vice-Chairmen, Rajya Sabha (1983-1985) • National Convenor of Mahila Congress (1983-1988) • Union Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs (1984-1985) • Member of Committee on Public Undertakings (1984-1985) • Union Minister of State Youth Affairs & Sports (1985-1989) • Union Minister of Women and Child Development in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (1985-1989) • Re-elected as member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha 1986 • Chairman of Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, Rajya Sabha (1990-1991) • Executive of Congress Parliamentary Party (1990-1991) • Union Minister of State, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (1991) • Re-elected as a member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha in 1992 • Deputy Chief Whip of Congress Party, Rajya Sabha (1993-1995) • Union Minister of State, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions with an additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs (1993-1996) • Member, Committee on External Affairs (1996-1997) • Member, Committee on Public Accounts (1996-1998) • Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (1996-1998) • MP from Uttara Kannada (1999- 2004) • Member of Committee on Transport and Tourism (1999-2000) • Member of House Committee (1999-2000) • Member of General Purposes Committee (1999-2000) • Chairman of Committee on the Empowerment of Women (2000-2001) • Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of Tourism (2000-2004) • Contested and lost 2004 general election from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency • General Secretary of the AICC (2004-2008) • Resigned from INC in 2008
Governor & Other Key Positions
Governor	• Governor of Uttarakhand (2009 2012) • Governor of Rajasthan (2012) • Governor of Gujarat (additional charge) (7 July 2014 – 15 July 2014) • Governor of Goa (12 July 2014 – 7 August 2014)
Other Key Positions	• President of Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) (1975-1978) • President of Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women (1975-1982) • President of World Women Parliamentarians for Peace (1986-1988) • Chairperson of Foreign Students’ Welfare Committee of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (1982-1984) • Chairperson of SAARC Technical Committee on Women (1985-1986) • Chairperson of UN Expert Group meeting on Women in Decision making, Vienna (1987) • General Secretary of All India Catholic University Federation (1961) • Joint Secretary of Government Law College Students Union (1963-1964) • Member of Indian Committee for International Women’s Year (1975) • Indian Delegation to U.N. Conference for International Women’s Year at Mexico (1975) • Indian Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (1976 and 1998) • Member of Central Youth Advisory Board (1976-1977) • Member of National Children’s Board (1977-1978) • Member of National Adult Education Board (1978-1979) • Member of National Committee on Child Labour (1979) • Member of National Adult Education Board (1978-1979) • Member of National Committee on Child Labour (1979) • Member of Governing Council of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (1982-1984) • Chairperson Women’s Participation in Politics, Seoul (ESCAP) (1992) • Member of Panel of Eminent Persons for Asia and the Pacific for HRD (ESCAP) • Member of the Governing Council of the Society for International Development (SID), Rome, and served on its executive for three years • Member of Commonwealth Observer Group for Elections in Cameroon • Member of IPU Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians (2000)
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1991) • Dr. T.M.A. Pai Foundation Outstanding Konkani Award (1991) • Honoured by the President of South Africa H. E. Thabo Mbeki during his visit to India, for support to the African National Congress during their struggle for freedom • First Nelson Mandela Award (2007) for minority Empowerment awarded by the International Foundation for Minority Empowerment at a ceremony at the UN Church Centre in New York • Global Leadership Award by Vital Voices Global Partnership • Woman of Substance Award (2012) by the Mercy Ravi Foundation • Kannada Rajyotsava Award (2018)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	14 April 1942 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2022)	80 Years
Birthplace	Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mangalore, Karnataka, India
College/University	• Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru • Government Law College, Bengaluru
Educational Qualification(s)	• Bachelor of Arts at Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru • Bachelor of Laws at Government Law College, Bengaluru [2]Thirteenth Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile- Margaret Alva
Religion	Margaret Alva belongs to a Christian family. [3]Women in Politics: Voices from the Commonwealth
Address	Permanent Address Near Custom`s Quarters, Uttara Kannada, Distt. Karwar, Karnataka, India Present Address 12, Safdarjung Lane, New Delhi – 110003, India
Hobbies	Oil Painting, Interior Decoration, Ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement)
Controversies	Comments About Congress Ticket Distribution Process In 2008, she alleged that the Karnataka unit of the party was selling election tickets to the highest bidders rather than picking candidates on merit. Alva's made these allegations after her son Nivedith was denied a seat to contest the 2008 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election. For violating party discipline, Alva was stripped down from her position as AICC general secretary. [4]The Economic Times Exposing How Sonia Gandhi Insulted Dead Body Of PV Narasimha Rao A video of Margaret Alva’s interview with India Today in July 2016 went viral on social media on 18 July 2022 in which she revealed how Sonia Gandhi insulted dead body of PV Narasimha Rao. [5]Political Kida- Twitter The interviewer Karan Thapar cited an excerpt from Margaret’s book, Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography, which read, "The gun carriage bearing Narasimha’s body was not allowed to enter the AICC headquarters. Instead, it was parked on the pavement outside the gates, with chairs for party leaders outside the gate.” While Karan Thapar marked the behaviour as ‘Sonia Gandhi’s revenge’ for the way the investigation of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination had proceeded, Alva agreed with him and said, "When a man is dead, you don’t treat him that way. And I was hurt. I have always regretted not walking away on that occasion but I did not want to insult his body by walking away…This is not the way to treat a dead leader”
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	24 May 1964
Family
Husband/Spouse	Niranjan Thomas Alva (advocate, businessman) Note: Niranjan Alva died in 2018 at Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru due to a chest infection.
Children	Son(s)- 3 • Niret Alva (Founder & CEO at Miditech Private Limited) • Nivedith Alva (politician, convenor of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) • Nikhil Alva Daughter- Manira Alva (Vice President at Vital Voices Global Partnership)
Parents	Father- P. A. Nazareth Mother- E. L. Nazareth
Siblings	Brother(s)- John Mohan Nazareth and Pascal Alan Nazareth (former Ambassador of India to Japan, author of book ‘Gandhi: The Soul Force Warrior.’) Sister(s)- Corinne Rego and Joan Peres
Others	Father-in-law:- Joachim Alva (lawyer, journalist, politician) Mother-in-law:- Violet Alva (lawyer, journalist, politician) Note: They were the first couple to be elected to Parliament.
Money Factor
Assets/Properties (as of 2009)	Movable Assets • Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 41,95,753 • Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs 34,57,833 • Motor Vehicles (Hyundai accent Model -2002): Rs 1,00,000 Jewellery: Rs 1,00,000 Immovable Assets • Agricultural Land: Rs 39,50,000 • Houses: Rs 2,90,00,000 [6]MyNeta- Margaret Alva
Net Worth (as of 2009)	Rs 4,18,03,586 [7]MyNeta- Margaret Alva

Some Lesser Known Facts About Margaret Alva

• Margaret Alva is an Indian politician, advocate, social worker, and trade unionist, who was nominated as the opposition’s candidate for the 14th vice-presidential election. She served Member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha from 1974 to 1998. She won her first Lok Sabha election from Karnataka and served as a member of the 13th Lok Sabha. She served as the 17th Governor of Goa, 23rd Governor of Gujarat, 20th Governor of Rajasthan, and 4th Governor of Uttarakhand. She is known for playing a significant role in making the Women Reservation Bill.

• Born into a patriarchal Indian society, Margaret Alva’s birth after her two sisters led to the disappointment of her mother. Margaret talked about the same in an interview and said,
  

  My mother was upset when I was born. I was the third girl child. But it was my grandfather who told my mother not to be disappointed. As I was born on his birthday he strongly felt I will also become an advocate like him.”

• After pursuing her primary education in Mangalore, she moved to Bangalore for higher studies.

• While studying at Mount Carmel College, she earned the title of Best All Round Student in 1961.

• She was a skilled debater during her college days, and she actively took part in various students’ movements.

• She first met Niranjan Alva while studying at University Law College, Bengaluru, where he was her fellow student.

• She relocated to Dehli after her marriage in 1964.
  

  An old picture of Margaret Alva with her husband, Niranjan Thomas Alva

• Her parents-in-law, Joachim Alva and Violet Alva, who actively fought for India’s freedom, were members of INC. Influenced by them, Margaret ventured into politics in 1969.

• After beginning her career as a lawyer, she joined politics under the guidance of the then Karnataka Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, a close confidant of Indira Gandhi at the time.
  

  An old picture of Margaret Alva, Devraj Urs, and other party leaders in 1972

• In 1984, Alva was made Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

• During her tenure as MP and later as a Minister, she piloted major legislative amendments on women’s rights by spearheading reservation for women in local bodies and equal remuneration and amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act, 1956.
  

  Margaret Alva with Indira Gandhi at Mahila Congress Convention in Bangalore 1984

• In 1989, the University of Mysore awarded her an honorary doctorate in Literature. ^[8]Thirteenth Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile- Margaret Alva

• In August 2009, Alva became the first female Governor of Uttarakhand.

• While she was serving as the Governor of Uttarakhand, she authored ‘Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography.’
  

• On 17 July 2022, Alva was nominated for the post of Vice President of India by the opposition. On 6 August 2022, she lost the vice-presidential election to the NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar by 346 votes.

• She is a member of various clubs like India International Centre, Delhi Gymkhana Club, and Bangalore Club.

• Alva has lectured at Harvard University and Columbia University.

• She is a founding member of the NGO Karuna, which specialises in empowering women at the grassroots politically and economically

• Apart from that, she is also a patron of the NGO Tamanna, an organization for the rehabilitation of mentally challenged children.