Smriti Irani | |
|---|---|
 Irani in 2023 | |
| Union Cabinet Minister, Government of India | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 11 June 2024 | |
| 6 July 2022 – 11 June 2024 | Ministry of Minority Affairs |
| 31 May 2019 – 11 June 2024 | Ministry of Women and Child Development |
| 5 July 2016 – 7 July 2021 | Ministry of Textiles |
| 18 July 2017 – 24 May 2018 | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |
| 26 May 2014 – 5 July 2016 | Ministry of Human Resource Development |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 23 May 2019 – 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Kishori Lal Sharma |
| Constituency | Amethi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 19 August 2011 – 23 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Pravin Naik |
| Succeeded by | Jugalji Mathurji Thakor |
| Constituency | Gujarat |
| National President of the BJP Mahila Morcha | |
| In office 24 June 2010 – 24 April 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Kiran Maheshwari |
| Succeeded by | Saroj Pandey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Smriti Malhotra 23 March 1976[1] New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse |
Zubin Irani (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation |
|
Smriti Zubin Irani (née Malhotra; Hindi pronunciation: [smɾɪt̪ɪ iːɾɑːniː] born 23 March 1976) is an Indian politician and former actress, fashion model and television producer. She was Minister of Women and Child Development from 2019 to 2024, and also Minister of Minority Affairs from 2022 to 2024 (as the first non-Muslim to hold the position). She previously served as Minister of Human Resource Development (2014 to 2016), Minister of Textiles (2016 to 2021), and Minister of Information and Broadcasting (2017 to 2018).[2][3] She was the youngest minister (at age 43) in prime minister Narendra Modi's second ministry in 2019.[4]
A prominent leader of Bharatiya Janata Party, she had been a member of parliament from 2011 to 2024, serving in the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat from 2011 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2024 as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. She was also the National President of the BJP Mahila Morcha (the party's women's wing) from 2010 to 2013. In the 2019 elections she gained the Amethi constituency by defeating opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, then-president of the Indian National Congress, whose family members had represented the constituency for the previous four decades. She subsequently lost the constituency to long time Indian National Congress worker Kishori Lal Sharma in the 2024 elections.
Previously in the mid-2000s, Irani gained popularity as a TV artist playing the lead role of Tulsi Virani in Ekta Kapoor's production Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus for which she won five consecutive ITA Best Actress awards.[5] Irani comes from a multi-cultural family, with her paternal family having Punjabi and Maharashtrian background, while her maternal family is Bengali.[6] She is a multi-linguist and speaks several Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and Punjabi.[6][7]
- ^ "Detailed Profile: Smt. Smriti tulsi Irani". India.gov.in. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Javdekar gets HRD, Irani shifted to Textiles". The Hindu. 5 July 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Saha, Poulomi (8 July 2021). "Cabinet reshuffle: Meet Modi government's women ministers". India Today.
- ^ "Smriti Irani youngest minister in Modi govt, council gets younger in 5 years". India Today. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "Smriti Irani: I don't watch Kyunki". Rediff.com. 29 April 2005.
- ^ a b "India's multilingualism an asset, says Smriti Irani". The Economic Times. PTI. 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, English... multi-lingual Smriti charms MPs". Rediff. 27 November 2014.