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Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari is the Union minister for road transport and highways as well as micro, small and medium enterprises in the second term of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government at the Centre. A day after being sworn in as a Cabinet minister on May 30, 2019, Gadkari was given charge of the road transport ministry, a portfolio he had held throughout the MOdi government's first term (2014-2019) as well. Additionally, he was given charge of the MSME ministry. 

A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he had also held the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation portfolios in the first term of the Modi government (from September 3, 2017, until the end of the term).

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gadkari contested from Maharashtra's Nagpur constituency, which he had represented in the previous Lok Sabha as well. From this keenly watched seat, Gadkari won a re-election by beating his nearest rival Nana Patole of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 216009 votes. He polled 55.67 of the votes cast in the constituency, compared with Patole's vote share of 37.45 per cent.
 
Previously, Gadkari also held the positions of Minister for Rural Development from June 4, 2014, to November 9, 2014, Minister for Panchayati Raj from June 4, 2014, to November 9, 2014, and Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation from June 4, 2014, to November 9, 2014.
 
In the past, Gadkari had drawn a lot of controversy with his comment that "leaders who fail to fulfil promises get 'beaten up' by people". In December, Gadkari had said that leadership should have the tendency to own up to defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's loss in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. 

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