Sushma Swaraj was born on February 14, 1952 in Ambala Cantt, Haryana. Her maiden name was Sushma Sharma. However, she changed her name to Sushma Swaraj after marrying advocate Swaraj Kaushal. (Image: Reuters)
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At the age of 25 in 1977, Sushma Swaraj became the youngest Cabinet minister of Haryana. She became the State President of Janata Party (now Bharatiya Janata party) in Haryana, in 1979. Later, Swaraj became a national leader of BJP. (Image: Reuters)
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Sushma Swaraj had a stellar political career which included many firsts: She was the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi, first woman spokesperson of a national party, first woman BJP Leader of Opposition in Parliament, first woman BJP Union Cabinet minister, first woman BJP General Secretary and the first full-time woman Minister of External Affairs. (Image: PTI)
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Sushma Swaraj was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in April, 1990 and remained in the House until she was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from the South Delhi constituency in 1996. (Image: Reuters)
Swaraj was the Information and Broadcasting Minister in the 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1996 and got the Cabinet portfolio again when BJP returned to power in 1998. In her stint, she declared film production as an industry, which made the Indian film industry eligible for bank finance. (Image: PTI)
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Sawraj served as Minister of Health, Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs from January 2003 until May 2004, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government lost the general election. (Image: Reuters)
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In 2014, Sushma Swaraj became the Minister of External Affairs in the first Narendra Modi-led government. She was the second woman to hold this position after Indira Gandhi and the first to do so full-time. (Image: Reuters)
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As MEA, Swaraj took several key measures such as expansion of the passport infrastructure and enhanced engagement with the East. She also handled several strategically-sensitive issues, including Indo-Pak and Sino-India relations. Her role in resolving the Doklam standoff between the India and China will be remembered. (Image: Reuters)
