Dr Subhas Sarkar took charge as the new Minister of State for Education on Thursday. A seasoned warhorse of the BJP in West Bengal, Sarkar is an MP from Bankura. “With the grace of God and good wishes from the people of Bankura and West Bengal, I'm assuming charge of the Minister of State, Ministry of Education at Shastri Bhawan to devote myself to fulfil the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said in a tweet on June 7.

A seasoned warhorse of the BJP in West Bengal, Bankura MP Dr Subhas Sarkar has been the party's organisation man in the state for a long. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Bankura constituency in 2019, defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight and state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee. Dr Sarkar, who was the Vice President of the West Bengal BJP from 2013, was a contender for the state party chief's post in 2015 but was made the general secretary instead.

The doctor was made the Vice President of the saffron party's state unit again in 2017. After securing the third position in Bankura in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election, Sarkar went on to win the seat five years later, increasing the BJP's vote share by nearly 29 per cent compared to the 20 per cent it bagged in 2014.

Born in 1953, Sarkar is a gynaecologist by profession and a permanent resident of Bankura. He is also a member of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare as well as the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.