Sportsperson-turned-politician Narah gets ministerial berth

New Delhi: A three-time MP, Ranee Narah is a former sports person and a prominent face of the young brigade of Congress in Assam to make her debut in the Union Ministry on Sunday.

Narah, who has been made a Minister of State in Tribal Affairs Ministry, began her political career with Congress in 1995 and became the general secretary, vice-President, and president of the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress in a short span of time. A mother of two sons, Narah, currently an MP from prestigious Lakhimpur constituency in Upper Assam, was first elected to 12th Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 1998. The 47-year-old again won the Lok Sabha polls in 1999 and 2009. A graduate from Gauhati University, Narah was active in sports since her college days and represented Assam in volleyball, weightlifting, shot put, discus throw and cricket. She also captained the Assam`s Women cricket team and was a left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed batswoman. Narah was the President of the Women`s Cricket Association of India. In 1986, Narah married Bharat Narah, a prominent tribal leader who was a Minister in Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) government. He later joined Congress and held a number of portfolios in two successive governments led by Tarun Gogoi before losing the election in 2011. PTI