Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for his third successive term at an impressive ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening with 71 MPs from the BJP and its allies joining the party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
The council of ministers is a blend of youth and experience with senior BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar taking oath of office. Several young leaders from BJP and allies, including first-time MPs, also made it to the council of ministers. Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who is the first BJP MP from Kerala and Harsh Malhotra, who won Lok Sabha polls from East Delhi, are among the first-time MPs in the union cabinet.
Key Highlights of the Council of Ministers
• 72 Minister strong Modi Sarkar Council of Ministers sworn in – bringing wealth of experience, expertise and vision
• Lead by the Prime Minister, the new Team includes 30 other Cabinet Ministers, 5 Minister of State with Independent Charge and 36 Ministers of State
• Coming from all corners of Bharat – representation across 24 States, as well as all Regions within States
• Leadership from across social groups – 27 OBC, 10 SC, 5 ST, 5 Minorities – including a record 18 senior Ministers heading Ministries
• 11 NDA Ally Ministers bringing wealth of experience and expertise
• Wealth of central experience – 43 Ministers serving 3 terms or higher in Parliament, 39 having been Ministers in Government of India before
• Wealth of state experience – multiple former CMs, 34 having served in State legislatures, 23 having worked as Ministers in States
BJP chief JP Nadda also took the oath as union minister in an indication that the party could have a new chief.
PM Modi’s ministers’ team has 30 cabinet ministers, five ministers of State with independent charge and 36 Ministers of State. Most of MPs took oath in Hindi while some took it in English.
Allies of BJP in party-led NDA including JD-U and TDP joined the union government during the swearing in ceremony and Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was the first among the BJP’s partners to take oath of office and secrecy.
The four leaders who took oath after PM Modi – Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and JP Nadda – all have been former BJP chiefs.
The Union cabinet also has five former chief ministers – Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Manohar Lal Khattar, HD Kumaraswamy,Sarbananda Sonowal and Jitan Ram Manjhi.
NDA Government has two Sikh, one Christian and One Buddhist Minister in their Council of Ministers. One community doesn’t have monopoly to be the only minority in India.
https://x.com/AdityaRajKaul/status/1799875923422154835
The BJP leadership sought to strike a balance in terms of state, regional and caste and community representation.
