The recent allocation of portfolios saw Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Annapurna Devi from Jharkhand being appointed as the Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ministry earlier held by Smriti Irani.
This move adds to the representation of women in the National Democratic Alliance, led by Narendra Modi, as Devi becomes one of the two female Cabinet ministers at the Centre.
Devi, 55, currently represents the Koderma Lok Sabha constituency in Jharkhand.
Notably, she previously held the position of Union Minister of State for Education under the Modi government in 2021. Her experience and leadership have been recognised through her appointment to this crucial ministry.
Having secured victory in the Lok Sabha election from Koderma, Devi emerged triumphant with a significant margin of 3.77 lakh votes, attaining the highest lead among the winning candidates from her party in the state. This achievement underlines her strong grassroots support and underscores her influence in the region.
Following the tragic passing of her husband, Ramesh Yadav, a legislator for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 1998, her interest in politics was sparked. Seizing the opportunity, she contested and triumphed in the by-election that same year, securing a seat in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Hailing from a Bengali-speaking family in the Dumka region of Jharkhand, Devi furthered her education by earning a master’s degree from Ranchi University. Notably, she assumed the role of Minister of State for Mines and Geology in the RJD administration of unified Bihar.
Afterwards, she held two back-to-back terms in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014. In 2012, she was given a ministerial position in Jharkhand, where she took on the role of overseeing the Ministry of Irrigation, Women and Child Welfare, and Registration.
Her most notable political triumph occurred in 2019 when she secured a significant victory by defeating Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) with an impressive margin of 4.55 lakh votes while running as a candidate for the BJP.
Annapurna Devi, formerly the Jharkhand chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), made a surprising move to the BJP. Her swift ascension within the RJD highlighted her increasing sway as a prominent figure representing the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Jharkhand.
According to the last census, OBCs constitute over 45 per cent of Jharkhand’s population, a statistic that underscores its political significance.
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