Biography 
Chitralekha Yadav is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal. The highest-ranking women in Nepali politics, she represents an agricultural district in southern Nepal. She serves as a central working committee member – and chief of the women’s department – in the Nepali Congress (Democratic). And she has been the coordinator of Nepal Women’s Organization. Married off at 15, she was the mother of two by the time she took her final exams, placing first in the country. She graduated from Tribhuvan University with a master’s degree in English literature. Prior to her political career, she taught English at one of the university’s constituent colleges. Ms. Yadav has participated in several international conferences on women and governance, including, most recently “Strengthening Political Parties: Win with Women,” held in Washington, DC in December 2003.(1.2007)
