Jitin Prasada, Anupriya Patel Find Berths In PM Modi-led NDA Cabinet

Jitin Prasada, Cabinet Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, and Anupriya Patel, party chief of Apna Dal (Soneylal), are likely to find a place in the PM Modi-led NDA Cabinet.

Prasada has served two terms as an MP and is a former Union minister. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he won in Pilibhit, traditionally contested by Maneka or Varun Gandhi, and defeated SP's Bhagwat Saran Gangwar.

Photo Credit: PTI Photo

An ex-Congressman who was known as Rahul Gandhi's close aide, Prasada started his political journey in 2004. He has previously represented Shahjahanpur and Dhaurara constituencies, reported Indian Express.

He first entered Parliament at the age of 31 and became one of the youngest ministers in the UPA government in 2008, handling portfolios like Steel and Petroleum.

In 2020, he founded the Brahmin Chetna Parishad to address issues faced by Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh.

Switch to BJP

Prasada switched from Congress to BJP in 2021, quickly rising to become a Cabinet minister in UP, overseeing the PWD. He retained his position after BJP's 2022 victory and continues to serve as an MLC.

2024 Election Support

PM Modi personally campaigned for Prasada in Pilibhit which he won by a margin of over 1.6 lakh votes.

Prasada studied at New Delhi's prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce and the International Management Institute.

Who is Anupriya Patel?

Daughter of Soneylal Patel and the chief of Apna Dal (Soneylal) since 2017, Anupriya has been a known face in the Modi Cabinet for a while now.

Her father was one of the founding members of the BSP who went on to established Apna Dal in 1995. After his demise in 2009, the party split in 2016 due to internal disputes, with Anupriya leading Apna Dal (Soneylal) and her mother Krishna Patel heading Apna Dal (Kameravadi). Both factions draw support from Kurmi and other non-Yadav OBC communities.

Anupriya's political career began in 2012 when she was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly from Rohaniya, Varanasi.

Alliance with NDA and BJP

Since 2014, she has been a critical ally to the NDA and BJP, first winning the Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat in 2014 by defeating BSP's Samudra Bind. She secured re-election in 2019 and 2024, although with a reduced margin in the recently-held contest against SP's Ramesh Bind.

She served as MoS for Health and Family Welfare from July 2016 to May 2019, and then as MoS for Commerce and Industry during PM Modi's second tenure.