A Welcome Change: 7 Women MPs in Modi's Council of Ministers


Najma Heptulla: BJP's Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, Najma Heptulla took charge as the Minister of Minority Affairs in Narendra Modi's cabinet.  She is probably one of the few candidates in the minority category to have secured a cabinet berth. Heptulla is the eldest minister in the cabinet.
The only Muslim leader in the Narendra Modi cabinet, Heptullah has travelled extensively to various parts of the world representing India at international conferences including those related to the Commonwealth and the international parliamentary union.

Heptullah has emerged as a prominent Muslim face of the BJP over the years, articulating its viewpoint inside and outside parliament. She was once a prominent Congress member in the Upper House. She moved to the BJP in 2004 from the Congress after differences with the top leadership.

Smriti Irani: From contesting the Miss India beauty pageant, to becoming the country's most sought after TV 'bahu', and sworn in as a minister in the newly formed government, 38 year old Smriti Irani's life has been a saga of meteoric rise to fame and success. The youngest Minister among the Council of Ministers, Irani has been handed the crucial portfolio of human resource development.
"I had never dreamt that I would get a chance to serve the nation and I thank the prime minister for giving me this opportunity," she said.
As BJP’s candidate from Congress bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh where she took on Rahul Gandhi, Irani fought one of the most high profile electoral contests of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. She lost but by putting up an impressive fights that brings Gandhi’s margin of victory to just over a lakh.

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