Mansukh Mandaviya, who served as the Union Health Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, was appointed as Sports Minister, replacing Anurag Thakur in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.

Mandaviya had won the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat by defeating his nearest Congress rival Lalit Vasoya by a margin of 3.83 lakh votes.

Mandaviya was also given charge of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers in the new cabinet unveiled on Monday.

Additionally, Raksha Khadse, a three-time BJP MP from Maharashtra’s Raver, was made Minister of State (Sports) under Mandaviya. Raksha is the daughter-in-law of Eknath Khadse, an NCP leader of the Sharad Pawar faction who has decided to switch back to the BJP.

Mandaviya was given the health portfolio in the middle of 2021 during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. He had replaced Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers as part of a reshuffle.

Meanwhile, the health ministry has been given to J P Nadda.

Mandaviya’s Debut In Lok Sabha Polls

Mandaviya’s fought his debut polls in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He fought the Lok Sabha elections for the first time after being a Rajya Sabha member for two terms. 

Known as Green MP for his penchant for cycling to Parliament, Mandaviya has been steadily rising through the party ranks ever since he associated with the BJP as a youth.

Born in Bhavnagar in June 1972, Mandaviya has been actively involved in politics since his youth when he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the RSS’ student wing, and soon became a state executive committee member of the ABVP’s Gujarat unit.

Mandaviya holds the record for being the youngest elected member (MLA) in Gujarat assembly in 2002. Before being nominated as a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, he had won as an MLA from Palitana assembly seat of Bhavnagar district in 2002.

In July 2016, he was sworn in as a Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers in the union government.

He was re-selected for the Second Term for Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha during March, 2018.