The Singles’ Club: Politics is their ball and chain

Rahul Gandhi has said that he won’t be getting married, but he’s not alone. We asked other over-35 politicians why they chose to remain single! Neyaz Farooquee writes.

Rahul Gandhi announced last month that he plans to remain single, thus joining a long list of single politicians in India.

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“In the West, family plays a large role which is not as dramatised by the media in India,” says Janaki Abraham, professor of sociology, Delhi University.

While Canada had a single prime minister in 1930s and Brazil’s present president is single, in India, Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Naveen Patnaik lead the list of Singles in High Office.

Then there is Narendra Modi who is reportedly married but single. Former president APJ Abul Kalam and former PM AB Vajpayee were also single. If you extend the notion of single to those widowed, singles who ruled India include Nehru and Indira Gandhi.