Union Minister Smriti Irani will seek reelection to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 polls from the high-profile Amethi seat, once considered a bastion of the Gandhi-Nehru family. In the 2019 polls, Smriti Irani defeated then Congress President Rahul Gandhi in an intense electoral battle.
Here are 5 facts you need to know about Smriti Irani.
1) Born on March 23, 1976, Smriti Irani started her career as a model and was one of the finalists in the Miss India beauty pageant of 1998. She got her breakthrough in acting with the lead role of Tulsi Virani in Ekta Kapoor's popular daily soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She was also seen in TV shows like Kya Hadsaa kya Haqeeqat, Ek Thi Nyaaka and many more, it was the portrayal of Tulsi Virani that made her a household name.
2) Following a successful acting career in television, Smriti Irani moved to active politics in 2003. She joined the BJP and was appointed the Vice President of the Maharashtra Youth Wing of the party in 2004. She contested the 2004 general election from Delhi's Chandni Chowk constituency but lost to Congress' Kapil Sibal. She was named the National President of the BJP Mahila Morcha in 2010. A year later, she was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
3) In 2014, Smriti Irani was fielded by the BJP from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi Lok Sabha against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had won the seat twice. Ms Irani managed to stir up a contest on a seat considered a bastion of the Gandhi-Nehru family and cut down Rahul Gandhi's winning margin to just over 1 lakh votes. Despite the defeat, she was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first cabinet as the Minister of Human Resource Development. At 38, she was also the youngest minister in PM Modi's first cabinet. From 2014 to 2019, Smriti Irani held the portfolios of HRD, Textiles, and Information & Broadcasting.
4) In 2019, Irani emerged as a giant killer, defeating Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. Despite the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance not fielding candidates in support of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani secured a victory by a margin of over 50,000 votes. She was appointed Union Minister for Women and Child Development. She has also held the portfolio of Minority Affairs since July 2022.
5) Smriti Irani is married to Parsi businessman Zubin Irani. The couple has two children.
