At a grand ceremony held last evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Nirmala Sitharaman and Annapurna Devi were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
Women’s Representation in Modi’s Third Council of Ministers
The 72-member council of ministers in Narendra Modi’s third government includes seven women, a decrease of four from the previous council. Nirmala Sitharaman and Annpurna Devi, both cabinet ministers, were sworn in during a grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan last evening.
Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha MP, has previously held major portfolios such as finance and defense. Annpurna Devi, a two-time MP from Koderma, has been elevated from her role as the junior minister for education to a cabinet minister.
Profiles of Newly Sworn-In Women Ministers:
The other women sworn in as ministers are Anupriya Patel, Raksha Khadse, Savitri Thakur, Shobha Karandlaje, and Nimuben Bhambaniya.
Anupriya Patel, the chief of Apna Dal (Sonelal), an ally of the BJP, has served as minister of state for health and family welfare and as junior minister for commerce and industry in previous Modi governments.
Profiles of Key Women Ministers in Modi 3.0
Raksha Khadse, a three-time MP from Raver and daughter-in-law of veteran Maharashtra politician Eknath Khadse, has a background in local governance as a sarpanch and Zila Parishad member.
Savitri Thakur, a two-time MP from Dhar, has made a comeback after not contesting the 2019 elections, winning her seat in 2024 by over 2 lakh votes. She has substantial experience in panchayat-level work.
Shobha Karandlaje, a two-time BJP MP from Karnataka, has been retained in Modi 3.0, previously holding portfolios in food processing industries and agriculture and farmers’ welfare.
Nimuben Bhambaniya, a 57-year-old MP from Bhavnagar and former teacher, has served as Bhavnagar mayor and in various BJP organizational roles.