Nitin Gadkari, a prominent figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Member of Parliament from Nagpur, was sworn in as a Union Cabinet Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Modi 3.O Cabinet: Nitin Gadkari takes oath as Union Minister
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Nitin Gadkari won the Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur, defeating his Congress rival by 1,37,603 votes. He secured 6,55,027 votes against Congress’ Vikas Thakre’s 5,17,424 votes. BSP’s Yogesh Lanjewar came third with 19,242 votes, and 5,474 votes went to NOTA.
Gadkari’s winning margin decreased by 78,397 compared to the previous election, where he defeated Congress’ Nana Patole by 2,16,000 votes in 2019 and by 2,84,828 votes in 2014. Born on May 27, 1957, Gadkari hails from a Maharashtrian agricultural family in Nagpur.
In the mid-seventies, disillusionment replaced the early Independence optimism, leading to growing disenchantment among various societal segments. The imposition of the Emergency in 1975 intensified this feeling, prompting Gadkari to step out of his comfort zone. As a student, he actively opposed the Emergency, later becoming deeply involved with the RSS and ABVP, embracing social work inspired by K. B. Hedgewar’s ideals.
His political journey began with ABVP, progressing to the Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP. Gadkari has been a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council since 1989, serving as the opposition leader from 1999-2005. He led the Maharashtra Pradesh BJP until 2009, becoming the BJP National President, the youngest ever at the time.
Gadkari resigned as party president in January 2013 and became the Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Shipping in May 2014.