![Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Annapurna Devi takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on June 9. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Annapurna Devi takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on June 9.](https://i0.wp.com/indianewsupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NDA-and-INDIA-coalitions-lead-in-major-South-Indian-cities.png?w=640&ssl=1)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Annapurna Devi takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on June 9.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Koderma MP Annapurna Devi and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the tribal-dominated State of Jharkhand were inducted into the Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 9. Both Ms. Devi and Mr. Seth have retained their respective seats this election.
Ms. Devi, of the Yadav caste, served as Minister of State for Education in the previous Modi government. In the Assembly election in Jharkhand later this year, the Yadav community — the third biggest OBC block — may help the BJP retain its ground.
Once a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Ms. Devi quit the party months before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and moved to the BJP. In the 2024 election, she won by the biggest margin among all winning candidates in Jharkhand. She defeated the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) candidate and three-time MLA from Bagodar Assembly seat, Vinod Singh, with a margin of 3,77,014 votes.
BJP has also ensured to keep its core voters happy by inducting Sanjay Seth, a member of the Baniya caste. He has defeated Yashaswini Sahay, daughter of veteran Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay, in Ranchi, the seat he won for the second consecutive term.
However, NDA had suffered a setback in Jharkhand with former Union Minister Arjun Munda and former Chief Minister’s wife Geeta Koda facing defeat. Mr. Munda lost the Khunti Lok Sabha seat to Congress candidate Kalicharan Munda, whereas Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Joba Manhhi defeated Ms. Koda in Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat.
The JMM-led grand alliance’s performance in the State was better this year than in the 2019 general election in which the NDA won 12 of the 14 Lok sabha seats.
This time, the NDA managed to win 9 Lok Sabha seats, while 5 seats went to INDIA bloc.