Annie Mascarene

Annie Mascarene Biography

Annie Mascarene was a freedom fighter and political leader from Kerala. She was one of the early prominent female politicians from the state. She was closely associated with Akkamma Cherian and Pattom Thanu Pillai for the unification of freedom struggle in Kerala. She has been imprisoned for political activism during British rule several times. She was a member of Independent India’s first Lok Sabha, where she got elected from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. She created history by winning election as an independent candidate from a prominent constituency. She is the first woman MP from Kerala.

She was born into a Christian family in Travancore princely state in 1902. Her father was in government service. Annie was excellent in academics, and she took double MA in history and economics in 1925 from Maharajas College, Travancore. Later she worked in Sri Lanka, then known by the name Ceylon for a while. Then she returned and completed LLB from Thiruvananthapuram. She was one of the early female leaders who joined Travancore State Congress. She was the first female member in its working committee. Since then she closely worked with many prominent leaders for India’s freedom struggle movement.

She became a member of Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly, and has also served as a minister in Parur T K Narayana Pillai’s ministry. She got elected from Thiruvananthapuram in the first Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate. She became one among the 10 MPs from Kerala. In 1951 she accused Minister for Public Works E. John Philipose of corruption. Parur TK stood by Philipose and events led to his resignation from Chief Minister’s post. Philipose later filed a defamation suit against Mascarene and was cleared of scandal. Mascarene had to pay compensation. In 1957 Lok Sabha elections she lost her MP seat from Thiruvananthapuram. Annie Mascarene died in 1963. Her bronze statue was unveiled at the Annie Mascarene Square at Vazhuthacaud by Vice President Hamid Ansari in September 2013.

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Updated: June 17, 2016