Housewife turned politician Annapurna Devi took oath as a Union Minister in the Narendra Modi government on Sunday. Annapurna Devi, who was forced to enter the field of politics after her husband died in 1998, has steadily risen through the ranks and is now the new Minister of Women and Child Development in the Modi 3.0 cabinet. Annapurna Devi replaced Smriti Irani, whose poll loss from Amethi.
Annapurna Devi Yadav is serving as 5th Minister of Women and Child Development from 2024. She is also a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament of India) from Kodarma, Jharkhand in which she won the 2019 Indian general election as member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is also one of the National Vice Presidents of BJP. Previously, she was elected to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, from Kodarma as a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
| Name: | Annpurna Devi Yadav |
| Birth: | 2 February 1970 (age 54) |
| Birth Place: | Ajmeri, Bihar, India |
| Education: | Ranchi University |
| Political Party: | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse: | Ramesh Prasad Yadav |
| Member of Parliament: | Kodarma |
A dramatic turn in her life came when her husband Ramesh Yadav, an RJD MLA, died suddenly in 1998. She is pushed into the political arena by fate, she sets out on an arduous journey on an uncharted path. In 2012, he was appointed Cabinet Minister in Jharkhand and held the charge of Irrigation, Women and Child Welfare and Registration.
Her most dramatic political victory came in 2019, when he defeated Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) on a BJP ticket by a huge margin of 4.55 lakh votes. Her journey from a grieving widow to becoming a prominent figure in the central government is no less than a political epic, full of unexpected turns and dramatic victories.