Bhukkal (born 16 August 1968) is an Indian National Congress politician representing the Jhajjar Vidhan Sabha constituency in Haryana, India. She held Education, Health, Women & Child Development, Social Justice & Empowerment, Welfare of SCs & BCs, Industrial Training and Printing & Stationery as a Minister in the Haryana Cabinet.
Bhukkal was born to Sh. Rattan Singh Punia at Matanhail village in Jhajjar district of Haryana.
After completing her B.A. from Panjab University, Chandigarh, she did her post-graduate diploma in personnel management and industrial relations from D.A.V Management College, Chandigarh. Bhukkal also completed her bachelor of law degree from the University of Delhi and her bachelor in education from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak and after that she went for an M.A. in political science.
Political Career
Bhukkal was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly for the first time from Kalayat Assembly Segment in 2005. She won this seat for Indian National Congress for the first time in 37 years.
Following delimitation before the 2009 Assembly elections, she contested from the Jhajjar Assembly Segment in 2009, winning the election with a margin of over 28,000 votes. She was made the Cabinet Minister for Education & Languages, Health & Medical Education, Social Justice & Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes, Women & Child Development, Industrial Training, Archaeology & Museums, Archives and Printing & Stationary.
She won the 2014 Assembly election from the Jhajjar Assembly Segment with a margin of over 26,000 votes becoming the first M.L.A. from Jhajjar to have won a consecutive term and also the first sitting Education Minister in the State of Haryana to have won the Elections, Creating a record of sorts.
She won the 2019 Assembly election from the Jhajjar Assembly Segment with a margin of over 15,000 votes becoming the first M.L.A. from Jhajjar to have won the seat three times in a row and making it a hat-trick of her winning in the Jhajjar Assembly Segment and also creating a streak of wins in the State Assembly elections by winning Fourth time in a row since 2005.
Smt. Bhukkal is also member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). She has served in various capacities and positions on national and state committees relating to education, Some of the most important being Chairperson, Sub-Committee (National Level), Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) for Extension of Right to Education Act to 10th & 10+2 and Chairperson, Sub-Committee (National Level), Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) for Assessment & Implementation of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in the Context of the No Detention Provision in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
