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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

Nirmala Sitharaman, was born in Madurai to Tamil Iyengar Brahmin parents Savitri and Narayanan Sitharaman on August 18, 1959. 

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

Nirmala Sitharaman graduated from Madras and Tiruchirappalli. She received a BA in economics from Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Tiruchirappalli.
 

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

She left for Delhi in 1984 to do her MA and M.Phil in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Sitharaman unsuccessfully pursued a PhD in economics.

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

In London, Sitharaman sold home decor at Habitat before entering politics. She then became an assistant economist at the UK Agricultural Engineers Association.

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

She became Senior Manager at PwC R&D and BBC World Service, advancing her career. Her competence and perseverance earned her a seat on India's National Commission for Women.

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Political Journey of Nirmala Sitharama

After joining the BJP in 2006, Nirmala Sitharaman's political career began. She swiftly became party spokesman and served until 2014.

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

That year, she was appointed to Modi's cabinet for her devotion and talents. She won Karnataka's Rajya Sabha seat in May 2016 after being elected from Andhra Pradesh in June 2014. 

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

She became Minister of Defence on Sept 3, 2017, after serving as Corporate Affairs Minister.

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

She became India's first full-time female Finance Minister and Minister for Commerce and Industry on May 31, 2019. 

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

In 2022, she won another Rajya Sabha election for Karnataka. She remains Finance Minister in Modi 3.0 after the 2024 general elections.

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Nirmala Sitharama's Family

Nirmala met her husband, Parakala Prabhakar, at JNU. Sitharaman is BJP and Prahakar is Congress, but they married in 1986 and have a daughter, Parakala Vangmayi.

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Nirmala Sitharaman: Know her education, political journey and family

Prabhakar advised then-Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu on communications. Sitharaman is simple outside of work. Her hobbies are traveling, hiking, music, and cooking.

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