Who was the leader of 1857 struggle for freedom in Lucknow?

The correct answer is C) Hazrat Mahal. After the British annexed Awadh in 1856 and deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Begum Hazrat Mahal took charge of the revolt in Lucknow in 1857. She proclaimed her young son Birjis Qadra as the Nawab of Awadh and organised resistance against the British, which made the Lucknow uprising a popular movement drawing in sepoys, talukdars and peasants. She refused the British offer of pardon and fought on until the British recaptured Lucknow in 1858, after which she took refuge in Nepal.

• Zeenat Mahal was a wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar and was associated with the Delhi court, not the Lucknow leadership.
• Nana Saheb led the revolt at Kanpur (Cawnpore), where he proclaimed himself Peshwa.
• Tantya Tope was a commander in Nana Saheb's forces, active in central India and the Kanpur-Gwalior region, and was executed by the British in 1859.

The core concept is that the 1857 revolt was a region-wise movement with different centres and leaders, and this is a recurring theme in Modern History. For Mains, the Lucknow case helps you discuss how the Doctrine of Lapse and the annexation of Awadh turned into mass resistance.

Trap: Zeenat Mahal is a well-known name from the same period and is often confused with Hazrat Mahal, but she was linked to Delhi, not Lucknow.