Sushmita Dev is an Indian politician and a lawyer. On 4 October 2021, she was appointed as the Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal backed by the All Indian Trinamool Congress. Earlier, in 2014, she was elected as the Lok Sabha member in the general elections backed by the Indian National Congress.
Wiki/Biography
Sushmita Dev was born on Monday, 25 September 1972 (age 49 years; as of 2021) in Silchar, Assam, India. Her zodiac sign is Libra. She did B.A. (Hons.), Bar-at-Law, and LL.M (Corporate and Commercial Laws) from Miranda House at Delhi University, Thames Valley University in London, and Inns of Courts School of Law in London. Later, she attended Kings College, London University, U.K. to pursue LLM.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is Santosh Mohan Dev. He was a member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of India. He died in August 2017.
Father of Sushmita Dev
Her mother’s name is Bithika Dev, and she was a legislator of Silchar of Assam assembly.
Sushmita Dev (right) with her mother (middle)
Husband & Children
She is unmarried.
Address
Satindra Mohan Dev Road, Tarapur, Silchar, Distt. – Cachar-788003, Assam
Early Life
Sushmita Dev and her family belonged to the Sylhet district of Bangladesh as her father was a senior Congress leader from Sylheti, Bengal. Her mother was a legislator of Silchar of Assam assembly.
Career
Sushmita Dev was the chairperson of the Silchar Municipal Board, Assam in 2009, and held the position till 2014. Sushmita Dev was elected as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly in 2011, and she served the position till 2014. In the same year, she was appointed as the Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha backed by the Indian National Congress and quit the party in 2019. In 2014, apart from being a Lok Sabha member, she was also appointed as a member of the Committee on Empowerment of Women, a member of the Standing Committee on Science & Technology, and Environment & Forests. She was on the panel of the Joint Committee on the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provision (Amendment) Bill in 2016. From 9 September 2017 to 16 August 2021, she served as the president of the All India Mahila Congress. In April 2018, she was designated as a member of The Central Advisory Committee for the National Cadet Corps. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Sushmita Dev was defeated with a margin of 81596 votes by Dr Rajdeep Roy, a BJP candidate from Assam. Sushmita Dev quit the Indian National Congress and got united with the All India Trinamool Congress in which she was appointed as the Rajya Sabha member.
Only Woman Panel Member in the Amendment of ‘Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill’
In January 2022, Sushmita Dev, as a lawyer and member of Rajya Sabha, was appointed as the only woman in the panel of 31 members in the Standing Committee that was established to scrutinize the bill that seek to increase the marriage age of Indian women from 18 to 21. This bill was categorised under the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill handled by the Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. On 2 January 2022, Sushmita Dev stated in a press conference that she was the only woman member in the Standing Committee, and she would try her best to make sure that every aspect of the bill must be extensively examined. She said,
The Standing Committee will be looking at the age barrier for women for marriage. I am the only female member in the Standing Committee which would be looking into it, but I will try my best to ensure that the Chairman of the Committee listens to every voice across the board.”
Sushmita Dev further continued the statement and said that this bill was a matter of sensitive concern. She said,
The idea of the Standing Committee is to scrutinise every aspect of the bill and to listen to different views and voices. It is a sensitive matter and everybody will be heard.”
Assets and Properties
Movable Assets
- Deposits in Banks: Rs 47,77,498.50
- Bonds, Debentures and Shares: Rs 98,50,040
- NSS, Postal Savings: Rs 5,42,000
- LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs 4,00,632
- Personal loans/advance given: Rs 46,82,480
- Motor Vehicles: Rs 8,70,295
- Other assets: Rs 5,16,343.88
Gross Total Value: Rs 2,17,07,145
Immovable Assets
- Non Agricultural Land: Rs 3,00,00,000
- Commercial Buildings: Rs 2,75,00,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs 2,75,00,000
Total: Rs 8,50,00,000
Liabilities
- As of 2019: Rs 1,94,05,127
As of 2019, her net worth amounted to Rs. 2,98,02,018.
Facts/Trivia
- Countries like China, France, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, the U.K., and the U.S.A. are the favourite travelling destinations of Sushmita Dev.
- Sushmita Dev is an active member of the Constitution Club in Delhi that offers a platform for its members to interact with the present and past Members of Parliament of India.
- Golf and Cricket are favourite pass time activities of Sushmita Dev.
- According to Sushmita Dev, she joined Trinamool Congress in September 2021 because she was attracted to Mamata Banerjee’s leadership when she defeated the Modi Shah-led BJP in West Bengal. In an interview with a media house, she stated that it was a huge national impact. She narrated,
I was attracted to the TMC and to Mamata Banerjee’s leadership because of her recent assembly election victory against the Modi Shah-led BJP in West Bengal, in spite of them using money power, misusing the Election Commission of India, the central forces, the central agencies… it has made a huge national impact. People are increasingly seeing her as the one who can successfully give the Modi-Shah regime a decisive fight.”
Sushmita Dev with Mamata Banerjee