Sunanda Pushkar
Sunanda Pushkar (27 June 1962 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian-born businesswoman who acquired Canadian citizenship and worked as sales director for the Dubai-based TECOM Investments, a role she held while building a career in real estate and sports ventures.[1][2]
She gained public attention in India through her company's involvement in securing the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise for the Indian Premier League in 2010, where she received sweat equity without initial capital investment, sparking allegations of influence peddling tied to her then-partner Shashi Tharoor, who resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs amid the scandal.[2][3]
Pushkar married Tharoor, a Congress MP and former UN diplomat, in August 2010; their relationship drew further scrutiny due to public disputes, including her Twitter exchanges over alleged affairs, culminating in her death by poisoning in a Delhi hotel suite, as determined by forensic reports, though Tharoor was cleared of charges in 2021 for lack of prosecutable evidence after prolonged investigation.[4][4]