Meet new consumer affairs minister in Modi 3.0, Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi: The oath ceremony for the 18th Lok Sabha Assembly was held on June 9, 2024, under the leadership of President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third consecutive term, alongside several key ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S. Jaishankar. 

The conclusion of the 17th Lok Sabha Assembly marked the end of the cabinet ministry from the 2019-2024 session, as the NDA announced its new list of cabinet ministers. A total of 71 ministers took their oaths along with Prime Minister Modi.

Among the new appointments, Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi was named the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Minister of New and Renewable Energy. Joshi previously served as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Coal, and Minister of Mines. 

He would be stepping into the shoes of Piyush Goyal who has been appointed as the Minister of Commerce and Industry in the Modi 3.0 cabinet. 

On March 13, 2024, Joshi was announced as the BJP candidate for the Dharwad constituency in the 2024 General Elections, a seat he had held for three consecutive terms. He secured his re-election by defeating Congress candidate Vinod Assoti with a margin of 97,324 votes.

Pralhad Joshi's political career is marked by his contributions as the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal, and Mines from 2019 to 2024. He has been a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha since 2004, representing the Dharwad constituency. 

As the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, he was instrumental in the functioning of both Houses and the passage of several important bills during the 17th Lok Sabha. He also served as the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka from 2014 to 2016 and was a member of the panel of chairpersons of the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2018.

Joshi first gained prominence as the leader of 'Rastradwaja Horata Samiti Sanchalak' during the movement to hoist the tricolor at Idgah Maidan in Hubballi, which led to significant law and order challenges. He was also active in the "Save Kashmir Movement" in the early 1990s. 

Having been elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, he was sworn in as a cabinet minister on May 30, 2019, during Prime Minister Modi's second term.