Modi Cabinet 3.0: Jyotiraditya Scindia is new Telecom Minister

Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi 3.0 government, was allotted telecom portfolio in the new cabinet on Monday. He was given an additional Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

Jyotiraditya Scindia's entry into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet solidifies his position within the BJP, affirming his significance since leaving the Congress four years ago. This marks his second stint in the cabinet, now as a member of the saffron party.

In the 2024 general elections, Scindia, aged 53, achieved a resounding victory from his longstanding Guna seat. Contesting as a BJP candidate for the first time, he secured a record margin of over 5 lakh votes.

In 2020, Scindia joined the Modi government as Union Minister, taking charge of the Civil Aviation portfolio after playing a key role in the BJP's takeover of the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh.

Scindia secured victory in the Guna seat by a significant margin of 5,40,929 votes, defeating Congress candidate Yadvendra Rao Deshraj Singh.

Born on January 1, 1971, and educated at Harvard and Stanford, Scindia entered politics after his father's untimely death in a plane crash. He won a by-election in 2002 and secured victories in the general elections of 2004, 2009, and 2014 from Guna as a member of the Congress party.

During his time in the Congress-led UPA government from 2007 to 2014, he served as Minister of State for Communications, Commerce and Industry, and Power.

Although re-elected from Guna in 2014, he lost the seat in 2019. In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, he chaired the Congress campaign committee, contributing significantly to the party's success, although Kamal Nath became the Chief Minister.

Scindia's family connections to royalty include his mother, who hails from Nepal's royal family, and his wife, who comes from Baroda's royal Gaekwad family. PM Modi has referred to Scindia as the "son-in-law of Gujarat."