Suresh Prabhu has been elected from
Rajapur constituency,
Maharashtra, from 1996 to 2004 under Shiv Sena. Prabhu held ministerial positions during the
Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998–2004) as minister of industry in 1996 and minister of heavy industry and public enterprises in 2001-2004. Prabhu served as
Minister of Environment and Forests from 9 March 1998 to 13 October 1999 under the Vajpayee government. He held the
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers from 1999 to 2000. He worked on policies for the fertilizer, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and chemical sectors. The Electricity Act of 2003 was enacted during his tenure. Reforms made under his ministry encouraged the people to set up their businesses without being dependent on captive power generation. Prabhu was appointed Chairperson of the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers under the Vajpayee government. In the first term of the
Narendra Modi government, Suresh Prabhu was appointed Minister of Railways but resigned in 2017 following train accidents. In January 2016, the World Bank invited Prabhu to speak on the role of transport and cities in achieving climate goals. He served as
Minister of Commerce and Industry from 2017 to 2019. Prabhu also visited Russia to participate in "Timber in the Far East-Increasing Industry's Economic Return" and talked about India-Russia ties with Russian Minister
Dmitry Kobylkin. In the final period of the first term of the
Narendra Modi government, he served as
Minister of Civil Aviation. During this time, Prabhu helped construct seven airports across the country. ==Awards and recognition==