 "In this 9 June 2024 file photo, BJP MP-elect Annapurna Devi takes oath as a minister at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Union government at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. Annapurna Devi gets Ministry of Women and Child Development. PTI")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated portfolios to his Union Council of Ministers on Monday.
Annapurna Devi, a BJP MP from Jharkhand, was made the Union Minister for Women and Child Development.
She is one of the two women Cabinet ministers and among seven women in the new Council of Ministers in the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
The portfolio was earlier held by Smriti Irani, who served as Women and Child Development Minister since 2019, and Minister of Minority Affairs since 2022.
However, she was dropped out of the cabinet after she lost Amethi to Congress’s close aide Kishori Lal Sharma.
Here’s all we know about her.
About Annapurna Devi
Annapurna Devi was born on 2 February 1970, into a Bengali-speaking family in Jharkhand’s Dumka, according to The Times of India.
She studied Master’s at Ranchi University.
Devi, a homemaker, never planned to pursue a career in politics.
When her husband, RJD legislator Ramesh Yadav, passed away suddenly in 1998, her life took a completely unexpected turn.
Drawn into the political sphere by fate, the 55-year-old ran successfully for the Koderma Assembly by-election on an RJD ticket in then-undivided Bihar in 1998.
As the RJD’s nominee, Devi went on to win the Assembly elections from the seat in 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2009.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUnder the RJD government of undivided Bihar, she held the position of Minister of State for Mines and Geology.
In 2012, she was appointed a cabinet minister in Jharkhand, overseeing the Ministry of Irrigation, Women and Child Welfare, and Registration, as per PTI.
According to the Indian Express, she served as the Jharkhand RJD chief between 2014 and 2019.
Her political career took a sudden turn when she switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
She made a lasting impression when running as a BJP candidate from Koderma, defeating Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) by a staggering margin of 4.55 lakh votes.
In 2021, Devi was inducted into the Union government as the Minister of State for Education on 7 July.
In her latest victory, she retained the Koderma seat by defeating CPI(ML) Liberation’s Vinod Kumar Singh by a margin of 3.77 lakh votes. Notably, she was among the eight BJP candidates who won from Jharkhand.
Devi’s influence extends beyond the mica belt of Koderma, impacting the entire state and establishing her as a key figure in the political landscape.
With challenges such as raising the legal age of marriage for women, combating malnutrition among women and children, and addressing women’s safety issues, the new minister faces a formidable agenda.
BJP’s bold strategy
Now, Devi’s appointment in the Modi 3.0 government is a move seen as the BJP’s strategic effort to consolidate a sizable OBC vote bank ahead of the crucial Assembly elections later this year.
Her rise within the party ranks was meteoric, reflecting her growing influence as the face of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Jharkhand.
OBCs constitute over 45 per cent of the state’s population, as per the last census-a statistic.
The other six women from Modi’s Council of Ministers
- Nirmala Sitharaman has returned as Union Finance Minister for the second time. In her first term, which began in 2014, she was given an industry and commerce portfolio.
Apna Dal (Sonelal) president Anupriya Patel is a prominent leader from the OBC Kurmi community. She served as Minister of State (MoS) Health in Modi’s first term. She returned to his Council of Ministers in 2021 when she was appointed junior minister for commerce and industry.
Shobha Karandlaje has returned as a Union minister for the second time. The 57-year-old won the Lok Sabha elections from Bangalore North constituency against Congress candidate Rajeev Gowda, becoming the first-ever woman MP from Bangalore.
Raksha Khadse is a three-time MP from Maharashtra’s Raver. Her induction into the Modi government assumes significance ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in the state expected later this year.
Nimuben Bambhaniya is among the only three women candidates elected to the Lok Sabha from Gujarat on a BJP ticket. A former mayor of Bhavnagar, she joined the BJP in 2004 and has served as vice president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha’s Gujarat unit between 2013 and 2021, as per PTI.
Savitri Thakur, who won from Madhya Pradesh, is one of the key tribal leaders of the BJP in the state. She is the new minister of state in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, as per the official statement.
With inputs from agencies