Union minister Smriti Irani has earned a seat in the front row of Lok Sabha, an indication of her importance in Narendra Modi government 2.0. Irani did the near unthinkable by defeating Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, which has been the bastion of the Gandhi family.
According to Hindustan Times, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla cleared the sitting arrangements for new Lok Sabha. Apart with Irani, who was a minister in the earlier Modi government as well, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has also got a front row seat.
The others in the front row are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
The front row of Lok Sabha wears a completely different look as six senior parliamentarians who earlier occupied the front row are no longer part of the House. They include former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP veterans LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi.
While some have retired, Deve Gowda lost the election, the Hindustan Times report further said.
