Modi Cabinet 2.0: Smriti Irani appointed as Minister of Women and Child Development after her massive win from Amethi, retains Ministry of Textiles as well

Narendra Modi has taken the oath-of-office as the Prime Minister of the country for the second time, at the grand swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday in which a number of other NDA leaders also took oath as ministers. Among the most watched was Smriti Irani who defeated Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi known to be Congress bastion. On May 30, as Former Union Textiles Minister and BJP MP took the oath of for Cabinet Minister amid loud cheers from the crowd. 

On May 31, as the portfolios were allocated, she was appointed as Minister of Women and Child Development. Along with her, Debasree Chaudhuri is appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development. In the earlier Modi Cabinet, the WCD ministry was under Maneka Gandhi.

Here are things you want to know about her: 

• 43-year-old Smriti Irani was the youngest minister in the cabinet under Prime Minister Modi in his first term. She was appointed as Minister of Human Resource Development. During the cabinet reshuffle after two years, she was shifted to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and ultimately was given the responsibility of Textiles Ministry.
   
• In 2014, Irani had run Rahul Gandhi extremely close in Amethi, losing by a 4:3 vote ratio. In 2019, she defeated him in the Gandhi bastion by 55120 votes, in what is likely to go down as one of the biggest election stories in India's history. 
   
• Irani had first contested Lok Sabha election in 2004 from Chandni Chowk but had to face defeat by Congress heavyweight Kapil Sibbal. 
   
• She was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha in 2011, and was re-elected to Rajya Sabha in 2017.

Even after she lost from Amethi in 2014, she had been camping in the constituency in the last five years. In her first interview with Republic TV after her monumental win, she said:

"I am grateful that honourable Prime Minister gave me an opportunity to bring development irrespective of losing from here for the past five years under his leadership. I am honoured that my party deemed me fit contest from Amethi yet again and I am extremely grateful to Yogiji because in consonance with the Centre and Narendra bhai, he managed to do so much work as a CM. Instead of giving me credit, one should give credit to my organisation and Swayamsevak who worked day and night to ascertain that this victory was ascertained in Amethi." 

After she took the oath on May 30, she congratulated all her colleagues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah on Twitter.

EXCLUSIVE: 'I Hope Rahul Gandhi Works For Wayanad,' Says Smriti Irani In Her First Response As She Breaches Congress Bastion Amethi