Smriti Irani takes charge of I&B ministry post Venkaiah Naidu's resignation

Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani will hold the additional charges of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre announced on 18 July.

The government also announced that Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar will serve as the new Urban Development Minister.

Both the ministries were earlier held by Vice-Presidential candidate M. Venkaiah Naidu, who resigned from his posts earlier in the day.

As prominent leader of the BJP, Naidu has also served as its national president from 2002 to 2004.

Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas.

His oratory skills and political activism propelled his political career and he was elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udayagiri constituency in Nellore district in 1978 and 1983. He rose to become one of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.

After having served in various organisational posts of the BJP at the state and national level, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998.

He has since been re-elected twice in 2004 and 2010 from Karnataka.

The Vice-Presidential election will be held on 5 August.

-ANI