Turmeric Man of Himachal Pradesh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has been appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Nadda takes over from Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who recently won the Lok Sabha election and was sworn in as a Lower House of Parliament member on June 24.

• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
• In addition to Mr. Nadda, 11 other members of the Upper House of Parliament are part of the Union Council of Ministers.

Leader of House in Rajya Sabha

The Leader of the House is responsible for organizing government meetings and business in the House.

1. Organizing Government Business: The Leader of the House is responsible for scheduling and managing the government's legislative agenda in the Rajya Sabha. This involves planning debates, introducing bills, and ensuring their smooth passage.
2. Liaison Between Government and Rajya Sabha:  They act as a bridge between the government and the Rajya Sabha. They communicate the government's legislative plans to the house and address any concerns from members.
3. Maintaining Order During Proceedings: While the Chairman presides over the Rajya Sabha, the Leader of the House can assist in maintaining order during debates and proceedings.

It's important to note:

• The Leader of the House position isn't enshrined in the constitution but established by the Rules of the Rajya Sabha.
• This role is typically held by a senior cabinet minister or a nominated minister who belongs to the majority party in the Rajya Sabha.

Political Era of J.P Nadda 

Early electoral politics

Nadda started his political journey as a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the party’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 

Before his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, Nadda held multiple terms as an MLA in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, representing the Bilaspur constituency.

Nadda was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the 1993 election from Bilaspur. He was re-elected in 1998.

During his first term, he served as the Leader of his party group in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 1998. He was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs in the First Dhumal ministry. Nadda lost his seat in the 2003 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election.

Nadda was elected for another term in the 2007 elections. After Prem Kumar Dhumal formed a government, he inducted Nadda into his cabinet as the cabinet minister responsible for Forest, Environment, Science, and Technology from 2008 to 2010.

Rise in national politics

Nadda did not seek re-election to the Legislative Assembly in 2012. Instead, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, which is the Indian Parliament's upper chamber, representing Himachal Pradesh.  In 2014 when the BJP came to power at the Centre, he was appointed as Union minister for health and family welfare and was renominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2018.

In April 2024 JP Nadda was elected as the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat. Nadda was handed the Health, Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio in the Modi 3.0 cabinet.