Former Lok Sabha member from Mahendragarh is Karnataka Governor

Her entry into politics followed a personal tragedy. Her husband, Sukhbir Singh Yadav, a BSF Deputy Commandant, was martyred in the 1999 Kargil war.

She entered politics at the insistence of PM Narendra Modi, who was the state BJP incharge at the time. She contested her first Lok Sabha election from Mahendragarh in 1999 and won, defeating Ahirwal heavyweight Rao Inderjit Singh by a margin of about 1.39 lakh votes. She remained an MP until 2004, and later served as a member of the National Commission for Backward Classes.

The reshuffle drew attention because party leaders Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were dropped while Sudha Yadav, BS Yediyurappa, Sarbananda Sonowal, K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura and Satyanarayan Jatiya were brought in.

Her appointment is also being read in political circles as recognition of a long organisational career, and it comes at a time when Ahirwal’s BJP leadership remains under close watch in south Haryana.