‘Sushma Swaraj more admired than Sonia Gandhi’

New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj was voted as the most admired female politician followed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in a survey conducted by shaadi.com.

The matrimonial website conducted the poll on the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8) to understand which successful Indian women are admired for striking a perfect balance between their career and their family life.

Sushma Swaraj got 36.28 percent of the votes as the most admired female politician closely followed by Sonia Gandhi (33.62 percent) and Jayalalitha (23.01 percent), a statement said. The poll was conducted through 19,000 Indians.

“The survey seems to indicate that the Indian youth admire women who despite their celebrity status, connect with the masses in the digital space. The poll is part of the constant research that shaadi.com conducts in its attempt to gauge the preferences of its members,” said Gourav Rakshit, chief operating officer (COO), shaadi.com.

In the corporate sector, Pepsico’s India-born CEO Indra Nooyi got 71.63 percent votes as the most admired and successful businesswoman followed by Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani with 27.03 percent votes.

From Bollywood, model-turned-actress Malaika Arora Khan topped the list with 51.05 percent respondents voting for her, followed by actress Kajol, who got 42.03 percent of the votes.

In sports, London Olympics bronze medallist M.C. Mary Kom with 39.2 percent was voted as the most successful sportstar followed by tennis star Sania Mirza who got 34.28 percent and shooter Anjali Bhagwat, who got 20.72 percent votes.