Union Minister JP Nadda has been reappointed as the Health Minister in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet, nearly five years after he stepped down from the position upon becoming the BJP chief.
Nadda, aged 63, is the only representative from Himachal Pradesh in the BJP-led government. He was born in Bodh village in Himachal’s Bilaspur district and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Patna University and an LLB from the Faculty of Law of Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.
Nadda’s political career began with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He became the president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, in 1991.
Throughout his career, he has held several key positions within the BJP and has overseen election campaigns in states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Punjab. He also served as a minister in BJP governments in Himachal Pradesh. Nadda has drawn inspiration from renowned politicians such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
Following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Nadda was appointed as the BJP’s working president and was subsequently elevated to the position of BJP president in January 2020, succeeding Amit Shah, who became the Union Home Minister. Nadda’s term as party chief was extended by six months in January to allow him to oversee the general elections.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 240 seats and had to rely on its NDA allies, primarily N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, to achieve a majority.
