'Highway Man of India' Nitin Gadkari returns as road transport minister

Nitin Gadkari assumes charge as Union Minister

Senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari officially took charge as the Minister of Road Transport and Highways on June 12. In a post on X, Gadkari expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reassigning him the portfolio in the third successive NDA government.

Gadkari emphasised that under Modi's visionary leadership, India will be equipped with world-class, modern infrastructure at an accelerated pace.

Famed as the 'Highway Man of India', Gadkari has overseen the construction of more than 54,858 km of national highways over the past decade. His ministry aims to complete the construction of the 1,386-km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by December this year.

The 67-year-old leader from Nagpur - the home to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters - is the longest-serving road transport and highways minister. He has won the seat three consecutive times.

In 2009, Gadkari was appointed the BJP president. Since 2014, when he first won the Lok Sabha elections, he has handled multiple portfolios, including micro, small and medium enterprises, shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, rural development, and Panchayati Raj.

Before his national political career, Gadkari served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the Nagpur Graduates' constituency from 1989 to 2014.