Rise, Fall, Rise: Smriti Irani Returns To BJP’s National Leadership

Last Updated:August 17, 2026, 16:43 IST

Irani was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 2011 and was re-elected in 2017. In 2019, she won the Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani.

Former Union minister Smriti Irani has returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national organisation, with party president Nitin Nabin appointing her as a national general secretary as he announced his new team on Monday.

Irani’s return to a key organisational position comes more than two years after she lost the Amethi Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general election. She has now been included among the BJP’s national general secretaries, marking her return to the party’s top organisational structure.

From Amethi Loss To Key Party Role

Irani is a senior BJP leader and former Union Cabinet minister. She is also a former television actress, best known for playing Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi before moving into politics.

She has held several senior organisational positions in the BJP, including national vice-president, national secretary and head of the party’s women’s wing at different points.

Her latest appointment brings her back into a prominent role in the party’s national organisation following her electoral defeat in Amethi.

Her Journey In Parliament

Irani was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 2011 and was re-elected in 2017. In 2019, she won the Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, defeating then Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

She served in the Union Cabinet from 2014 to 2024, handling several important portfolios.

As Human Resource Development Minister from May 2014 to July 2016, she was the youngest Union Cabinet minister at the time. Her tenure included early work that contributed to the later National Education Policy process, along with digital initiatives such as SWAYAM and NIRF.

From Textiles To Women And Child Development

Irani served as Textiles Minister from July 2016 to July 2021. During this period, she pushed technical textiles, supported the expansion of PPE manufacturing during the pandemic and worked towards growth in toy-sector exports.

She also held the Information and Broadcasting portfolio from July 2017 to May 2018, focusing on reforms involving Doordarshan and All India Radio and improving revenue.

From 2019 to 2024, Irani was Women and Child Development Minister. Her work included the POSHAN Tracker, crisis centres for women, juvenile-justice reforms and fast-track courts for sexual-offence cases.

She was also given charge of Minority Affairs from 2022 to 2024. During this period, digital Haj processes were introduced and women in specified categories were enabled to travel for Haj without a male guardian, or mahram.

Before Politics, A Television Career

Before entering politics, Irani worked in television and media. Her breakthrough came as Tulsi Virani in Balaji Telefilms’ Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, one of the most-watched Indian television shows of the 2000s.

She received multiple Indian Television Academy Awards and Indian Telly Awards for Best Actress (Popular). She also worked as a model and participated in Miss India 1998.

Irani was born Smriti Zubin Irani, née Malhotra, on March 23, 1976, in New Delhi. Her family background is Bengali-Punjabi. Her father was Ajay Kumar Malhotra, who was Punjabi, and her mother was Shibani Bagchi, who was Bengali.

She married Zubin Irani in 2001 and has two children, Zohr and Zoe. She studied up to Class 12 at Holy Child Auxilium School in New Delhi and later enrolled at the School of Open Learning, University of Delhi.

A Hard-Hitting BJP Communicator

Irani is widely seen as a hard-hitting BJP communicator and has often been deployed on contentious national issues in Parliament and media debates.

Her public policy focus has included digital governance in social sectors, including the POSHAN Tracker and Haj Suvidha app, women’s safety and empowerment through crisis centres and legal aid, and education and skills through online learning platforms, institutional ranking and research initiatives.

Key Questions Answered

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What new responsibilities will Smriti Irani take on?

Smriti Irani has been appointed as a National General Secretary in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national organisation.

How will this appointment impact BJP’s national strategy?

Smriti Irani’s return to a key organisational role in the BJP’s national team, following her loss in Amethi, is part of a broader strategy to balance experienced leaders with younger faces and focus on the upcoming 2027 assembly elections. Her appointment as a national general secretary is also seen as part of an effort to give the team a “young and aggressive face” and increase women’s representation within the party.

Could Smriti Irani contest elections again in Amethi?

Smriti Irani has indicated that she will follow the party’s directives for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. She has also increased her activity in Amethi, participating in organisational work and development projects.

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About the Author

Shuddhanta PatraSenior Sub-Editor

Shuddhanta Patra is an Indian journalist with about nine years of experience in covering national politics, geopolitics, defence, diplomacy and international affairs. Her reporting focuses on South As…Read More

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