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Margaret Alva

Margaret Alva
23rd Governor of Gujarat
In office
7 July 2014 – 5 August 2014
Preceded by Kamla Beniwal
Succeeded by Om Prakash Kohli
29th Governor of Rajasthan
In office
12 May 2012 – 5 August 2014
Preceded by Shivraj Patil
Succeeded by Ram Naik (Additional Charge)
17th Governor of Goa
In office
12 July 2014 – 7 August 2014
Preceded by Bharat Vir Wanchoo
Succeeded by Om Prakash Kohli
4th Governor of Uttarakhand
In office
06 August 2009 – 14 May 2012
Preceded by Banwari Lal Joshi
Succeeded by Aziz Qureshi
Personal details
Born (1942-04-14) 14 April 1942 (age 75)
Mangalore, Madras Presidency, British India
Nationality Indian
Children 3 son(s) and 1 daughter
Alma mater Mt. Carmel College and Government Law College, Bangalore
Profession Lawyer

Margaret Alva (née Margaret Nazareth, born 14 April 1942) was the governor of the Indian state of Rajasthan until the end of her tenure in August 2014; she had previously been governor of Uttarakhand. She took over in Rajasthan from the Punjab governor, Shivraj Patil, who had been holding an additional charge of that state. Before being appointed governor, she was a senior figure in the Indian National Congress and was Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee.

Margaret Alva was born Margaret Nazareth on 14 April 1942 in a Christian family at Mangalore, Karnataka. She obtained a BA degree from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore and a law degree from Government Law College in the same city. She was a keen and appreciated debater during her time at college and had some involvement in students' movements.

Alva combined her work as an advocate with involvement in welfare organisations, eventually becoming president of the Young Women's Christian Association. One of her early involvements was with the Karuna non-governmental organisation, which she founded and which was focused on issues relating to women and children.

She married Niranjan Alva on 24 May 1964, with whom she has one daughter and three sons, including Niret Alva. The couple had met as students at Government Law College and her husband now operates a successful export business, which has given her financial security that has been beneficial to her later career.

Alva's decision to enter politics in 1969 was strongly influenced by her husband and father-in-law, Joachim Alva, the latter and his wife, Violet Alva, being Members of Parliament representing the Indian National Congress. She has acknowledged this encouragement, saying that "I never had to face any family constraints on my political activities" and she has also said that the death of Violet in 1969 provided the impetus. She aligned herself with the Congress (Indira) faction led by Indira Gandhi and worked for its state unit in Karnataka. She served as Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee between 1975 and 1977 and as General Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee between 1978 and 1980,


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