All you need to know | Who is Anita Anand, possible contender to succeed Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said that he would step down in the coming months after nine years in power, bowing to legislators alarmed by his Liberal Party's miserable pre-election polling numbers.

Trudeau said he would stay on, both as prime minister and Liberal head, until the party chooses a new leader to take it into the next election, which must be held by late October this year.

After Trudeau's announcement, Indian-origin Anita Anand's name topped the list of prominent candidates to succeed him.

Here is all you need to know about Anita Anand:

• Anita Indira Anand is a Canadian lawyer and politician who is said to be the replacement to Justin Trudeau.

• Anita was the Minister of Travel and Internal Trade in Justin Trudeau’s government.

• She has been the member of the Liberal Party since 2019. Anita also served as the minister of public services and procurement from 2019 to 2021.

• During the Covid pandemic, Anita supervised the vaccine procurement and personal protective equipments in Canada.

• Anita was born in 1967 in Kentville, Nova Scotia to Indian Physician parents.

• She was the first Hindu to become a cabinet minister in Canada.

• Before entering politics, Anita was a professor at the University of Toronto with specialisation in corporate governance.

(With Reuters inputs)