Women Ministers Making Strides in 18th Lok Sabha

Seven women, including two cabinet members, have been inducted into the new council of ministers in the 18th Lok Sabha. While some former ministers were dropped, the new entrants include Nirmala Sitharaman, Annpurna Devi, and Shobha Karandlaje among others. Narendra Modi and his council took the oath on Sunday.

Seven women, including two with Cabinet roles, have been inducted into the new council of ministers in the 18th Lok Sabha. This marks a notable shift from the previous council which had 10 women ministers before it dissolved on June 5.

Former Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Dr. Bharti Pawar, along with Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Darshana Jardosh, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Pratima Bhoumik, have been dropped.

New ministers include former Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP MPs Annpurna Devi, Shobha Karandlaje, Raksha Khadse, Savitri Thakur, Nimuben Bambhaniya, and Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel. Sitharaman and Devi have taken Cabinet positions, while the others have sworn in as ministers of state.

Irani and Pawar lost their seats at Amethi and Dandori respectively. Meanwhile, Jyoti, Jardosh, Lekhi, and Bhoumik were not fielded by the BJP. The newcomers Devi, Karandlaje, Khadse, Sehrawat, and Patel have all won the recent elections.

Narendra Modi, along with his 71 council ministers, formally took the oath on Sunday, marking the beginning of the new coalition government after BJP's two full tenures with a majority.