ML Khattar, former Chief Minister Of Haryana, has been given charge of two ministries in the Narendra Modi-led cabinet - Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Ministries.
Mr Khattar, 70, replaces RK Singh as Power Minister who lost elections from Arrah in Bihar.
High power demand and coal supply issues faced by power producers across the country will be a challenge for Mr Khattar.
The power demand has already touched an all-time high of 250 GW in May this year. Earlier, the power ministry had projected that peak power demand was estimated to touch 260 GW during this summer season.
Mr Khattar defeated Divyanshu Budhiraja of the Congress in Karnal constituency during the Lok Sabha poll.
In 2014, Mr Khattar became the MLA for the first time and took over as Chief Minister of Haryana. In March 2024, he was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini.
According to some accounts, Mr Khattar is considered close to PM Modi with whom he worked in the BJP during 1990s.
Mr Khattar, a bachelor, worked for almost 40 years as an RSS pracharak.
"A great blend of youth and experience" is how PM Modi described his cabinet.
No date has been set for the opening of parliament, but media reports say the new session is expected to begin next week, when the speaker will be elected.
