Modi Cabinet 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman, Anupriya Patel Among 7 Women Inducted Into New Council Of Ministers

Modi Cabinet 2024: Seven women, including two in cabinet roles, have joined the new council of ministers in the 18th Lok Sabha. Nirmala Sitharaman and Annpurna Devi are the two new cabinet ministers.

Modi Cabinet 2024: In a significant development, seven women, including two in cabinet roles, have been inducted into the new council of ministers in the 18th Lok Sabha. This comes after the dissolution of the previous council on June 5, which had ten women ministers. Among those inducted are former Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP MP Annpurna Devi, both joining the Cabinet. The other new ministers of state are BJP MPs Shobha Karandlaje, Raksha Khadse, Savitri Thakur, Nimuben Bambhaniya, and Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel.

Prominent names missing from the new council include former Union Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State Dr Bharti Pawar, both of whom lost their seats in Amethi and Dandori, respectively. Additionally, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Darshana Jardosh, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Pratima Bhoumik were not fielded by the BJP this election.

Raksha Khadse On Induction Into NDA 3.0 Cabinet

Raksha Khadse, elected for a third consecutive term as an MP from the Raver Lok Sabha seat in North Maharashtra, expressed her readiness to take on any responsibility assigned by the party. "I am ready for any responsibility given by the party," Khadse stated, as quoted by news agency PTI. Her induction has been a moment of immense pride for her family.

Eknath Khadse, her father-in-law and a former Maharashtra minister, shared his emotions, saying, "I was never so happy in my life than today when Raksha received a call informing her induction in the Union cabinet. It is the biggest thing in her life. I cannot control my tears", PTI reported.

Reflecting on her political journey, Raksha credited her father-in-law for her success. "My career started because of him. I otherwise do not have any political background," she added.

This reshuffle comes after the recent Lok Sabha elections, where 74 women won seats, a slight decrease from the 78 elected in 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with his 71 council of ministers, took the oath on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new coalition government after two full terms where the BJP held a majority.

In Modi's first term in 2014, eight women ministers were sworn in, while his second term saw six women ministers. By the end of the 17th Lok Sabha, there were ten women ministers in the council.