New Delhi: May 30 witnessed the commencement of second innings of Modi administration, as PM Modi along with 58 cabinet ministers took oath at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Rajnath Singh: 67-year-old
Experience- 2 Lok Sabha 2 Rajya Sabha term
A veteran politician of many decades and former BJP President, Rajnath Singh was instrumental in pitching for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, as mandated by the RSS. In the last government, he was an efficient home minister who kept a low profile. He implemented the party tough line on terror, asking security agencies to act impartially on intelligence inputs. He is also former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Now he is chosen as Defence minister
Amit Shah: 52-year-old
From a polling booth in-charge to heading the world largest political party to cabinet minister, the journey of Amit Anilchandra Shah has been stupendous to say the least.
For 14 years in Gujarat, Shah was the most trusted person of then CM Narendra Modi. His career suffered a brief setback in 2010, when he, as the MoS home of Gujarat, was arrested in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter case. After two years away, he was allowed to return in 2012. He was subsequently discharged of all charges.
He is now chosen as Home Affairs
S Jaishankar: 61-year-old
No parliamentary experience
Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar induction in the Modi government as an MoS is hardly a surprise to foreign policy wonks. Jaishankar, son of the strategic affairs expert K Subrahmanyam, has been Modi go-to man on foreign policy since his Gujarat CM days. Jaishankar was then India ambassador to China, and the two met when- e v e r M o d i visited
Now he is chosen as Minister of external affairs
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Nitin Gadkari: 62-year-old
Experience- 1 Lok Sabha term
The feisty leader recently cemented his electoral muscle in Nagpur, which is home to the RSS headquarters, with a second Lok Sabha win.
Gadkari earned his spurs as PWD minister in Maharashtra by delivering the Mumbai-Pune expressway and 55 flyovers in Mumbai, earning him sobriquets like ‘bridge bhushan’ and ‘flyover man’.
However, Gadkari straight-shooting often gives rise to controversies. Last year, he said the government would not give the Navy an inch of land for housing in South Mumbai. Or even more embarrassing, he said it was wrong to call fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya a thief after one loan default
He is now chosen as Road Transport, MSME
Nirmala Sitharaman- 59-year-old
Experience-2 Rajya Sabha term
The last five years have seen a meteoric rise of this former JNU student, who joined the BJP just over a decade ago. She was nominated as party spokesperson in 2010. Under the government led by AB Vajpayee, she served as a member of the NCW 2003 till 2005.
The two time Rajya Sabha member started out in May 2014 as an unsure minister of state with independent charge of commerce and industry. In September 2017, she went on to become India first full-time woman defence minister and a member of the hallowed cabinet committee on security.
She is now chosen as Minister of Finance, Corp Affairs
Harshimrat Kaur Badal: 52-year-old
Experience- 2 Rajya Sabha term
The Badal bahu, Harsimrat Kaur, has only seen highs in her first decade as a politician — she is a three-time MP from the Badal stronghold of Bathinda, was a minister with independent charge in PM Narendra Modi first government and now has made it to the Cabinet. She also made history for the Shiromani Akali Dal — she is the first MP in its 98-year history to be made a Union minister twice in consecutive terms.
She is now chosen as Minister of Food Processing Industries
Smriti Irnai: 43-year old
From Miss India contestant to soap opera star to giant slayer, Smriti Irani career has not had a dull moment. Irani captured India imagination as ‘Tulsi’ in one of the most successful running soaps of all time. In 2004, when most would have been thinking of graduating to a film career, Irani chose politics running an unsuccessful but feisty campaign against Kapil Sibal from Chandni Chowk. In a nod to her fighting spirit, Irani was made Rajya Sabha member in 2011, and held several positions in parliamentary committees till 2014 when she challenged Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
She is now chosen as Minister of Women, Child Development
Narendra Tomar: 61-years old
Experience- 2 Lok Sabha Elections
Seen as the tallest BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh after former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Was minister of panchayat and rural development and mines in the outgoing . After taking oath, he immediately chalked out a 100-day road map to execute the development agenda of the Modi government, and promoted skill development. During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, when sitting MPs were being ruthlessly weeded out if there was even a hint of anti-incumbency, Tomar was the only one allowed to change his seat from Gwalior to Morena. This is an indication of his clout in the party. Beyond politics, Tomar interests lie in sports and poetry, and he is known for organizing poetry symposiums.
He is now Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Panchayati Raj
Harsh Vardhan: 64-year-old
Fondly known as ‘doctor saab’ in Delhi circles, Harsh Vardhan is among BJP old world politicians. The good doctor, who has held ministerial portfolios in the Centre and the state, nurtured the same assembly constituency —Krishna Nagar in east Delhi — since 1992 till he shifted to Chandni Chowk for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. As health minister in Delhi, he earned recognition for the universal coverage of the polio campaign.
Dharmendra Pradhan: 49-year-old
Experience- 1 Lok Sabha term
Though the Naveen Patnaik era continues in Odisha, Pradhan efforts as leader of BJP campaign in the state did result in big gains in the Lok Sabha election. In the state too, BJP has replaced Congress as the number two party and seems well established to be the main challenger to Biju Janata Dal.
He is now Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Steel.
Ram Vilas Paswan- 72-year-old
Paswan is known as the ‘mausam vaigyanik’ (weather vane) for his ability to read political currents correctly. This time, too, his prediction that BJP under Modi was headed back to office was proved right. However, LJP chief did have a disagreement with the NDA over division of seats, but managed to drive a hard bargain, wrangling six seats. And despite the Modi wave in much of India, LJP won all six. His portfolio — Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution — may not have been the weightiest, but Paswan inputs on political issues did prove useful. He was the one who insisted that the income support under the PM-Kisan Yojna should be direct transfers. There was talk that his son Chirag would get the berth this time but junior was more interested in leading LJP in the Bihar polls.
He is now Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Piyush Goyal- 54
Experience: 2 Rajya Sabha Term
The chartered accountant was seen as a performer in the Modi government after he successfully oversaw auctions of coal blocks that were cancelled by the Supreme Court. His next challenge was to improve power supply and he did that by seeking to make utilities more efficient, while helping many of them avoid bankruptcy. Between all this, he successfully managed to push LED bulbs and renewable energy and ensured that nearly every household had an electricity connection.
He is now chosen as Minister of Railway, Commerce
Prakash Javadekar- 68
Experience: 3 Rajya Sabha Terms
A successful minister and astute political manager, Javadekar helmed three different ministries in the first Modi government. He was minister of state (independent charge) for environment, forests and climate change, a tenure he used to reduce red tape around clearances and to enforce pollution norms for industry in sensitive zones like along the Ganga.
He is now chosen as Information and Broadcasting Minister.
Ravi Shankar Prasad- 64-year-old
He is a familiar figure from television, a combative spokesperson for BJP. But the politician from Bihar also handled his other assignment, as Narendra Modi cabinet minister, first in the communications ministry and then in the law and justice ministry, with equanimity.
He is now chosen as Law Minister
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat- 51-year-old
Experience: 1 Lok Sabha Term
In the past year, the tech-savvy and soft spoken Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has come to be considered the party high command chosen man in Rajasthan, someone who can be a replacement for former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
He is now the Minister of Jal Shakti
Giriraj Singh- 56-year-old
Experience: 1 Lok Sabha Term
One of the most watched battles in the general elections was CPI Kanhaiya Kumar taking on the seasoned Giriraj Singh of BJP in Bihar Begusarai constituency. In the event, Singh was able to notch up a huge victory, helped to no small measure by his familiarity with voters. He has been a frequent newsmaker with his controversial remarks about the need for bigger Hindu families. A Bhumihar Brahmin from Lakhisarai district of Bihar, Singh was member of the state legislative council for 12 years from 2002, joining the state minister in 2005, first as co-operatives minister and then then as animal husbandry minister from 2010 to 2013. A staunch supporter of PM Narendra Modi, Singh rode the saffron wave in 2014 to win a Lok Sabha seat from Nawada. Among the BJP ministers in Bihar to have lost their posts after the BJP-JDU break-up in 2013, Singh found himself rewarded with a place in Modi 2014 ministry as minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises. His re-election this year has won him an elevation as a cabinet minister.
He is now chosen as Minister of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries
Arvind Sawant- 67-years-old
Experience- 1 Lok Sabha Term
A hardcore Shiv Sainik who lives in a chawl in the Marathi heartland of Sewri, Arvind Sawant was among the Shiv Sena old guard. He has risen to become a two-term MP after defeating the Congress high-profile Milind Deora in Mumbai South, also becoming the national face of the party.
He is now Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise
Pralhad Joshi- 56-years-old
Experience- 3 Lok Sabha Term
Elected for the fourth time with a win margin of over 2 lakh votes from BJP-RSS stronghold of Dharwad, the longstanding RSS functionary political career took off back in 1992 when he participated, along with Uma Bharati in the Hubballi Idgah Maidan conflict in 1992, which led to a communal flare-up. He was state BJP president from 2012 to 2016 when the party five-year government ended amid serious allegations of graft, and scandals. He is believed to be best placed to replace the late H N Ananth Kumar as a bridge between the Centre and Karnataka, as he was the former understudy. Ananth Kumar brother Nand and Joshi brother Gopal are business partners and both families are very close.
He is now Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal & Mine
Mukhtar A Naqvi- 61-year-old
Experience: 1 LS Term, 3 RS Term
One of the most prominent Muslim faces of BJP, he made his electoral debut in 1980 when he won from Allahabad West assembly seat. He later joined BJP and is one of the few ministers in the newly inducted cabinet who has also served in Vajpayee government, including Rajnath Singh and Santosh Gangwar.
He is now chosen as Minority Minister
Mahendra N Pandey
Uttar Pradesh BJP chief and Chandauli MP Mahendra Nath Pandey has been rewarded after the party impressive performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. A Brahmin from eastern UP, Pandey constituency is adjacent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Varanasi seat. He was MoS for human resource development in 2016-17 before being sent to UP to head the party state unit. Pandey is credited with leading the party against a formidable SP-BSP alliance and notching up a good tally and seamlessly running the party machinery in sync with chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
He is now Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Ramesh N POKHRIYAL
Before starting his political journey, Nishank, 59, worked as a teacher in Shishu Mandir, a school under RSS Vidya Bharti, in Dehradun. His RSS background came handy when this gardener son joined the BJP. In 1991, he was first elected from Karnaprayag assembly seat to the UP assembly for the first time.
He is now Minister of Human Resource Development
Sadanand Gowda
Gowda, popularly called DVS in his home state of Karnataka, belongs to the Vokkaliga community and, after the death of H N Ananth Kumar, is among the most important BJP leaders from that state. He had a short tenure as chief minister of Karnataka a year between 2011 and 2012).
He is now chosen as Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers
The List also includes Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot - Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Arjun Munda - Minister of Tribal Affairs