PM Narendra Modi's cabinet has been expanded with new ministers
Thirty-six new ministers were sworn-in today in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first cabinet expansion after returning to power for a second consecutive term in 2019. The new cabinet includes 36 new ministers while seven got promotions. Prominent BJP leaders like Narayan Rane, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Sonowal and Bhupendra Yadav were among those who took oath today. Just before the oath ceremony, BJP leaders like Harsh Vardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar resigned from the cabinet.
Here is the complete list of ministers who were sworn-in today.
Narayan Rane
A Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, Narayan Rane has a long political career spanning over 35 years. He has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and held several portfolios as a cabinet minister in the state.
Sarbananda Sonowal
The former Chief Minister of Assam and a two-time Lok Sabha MP has served as a Union Minister earlier. He was Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Sports and Youth Affairs in the first term of the Modi government.
Virendra Kumar
A seven-time Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, he has earlier served as MoS for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs.
Jyotiraditya Scindia
He joined BJP in March last year. He has served as Union Minister of State in Congress-led governments in various capacities. In his public life spanning over two decades, he was also the president of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.
RP Singh
Ramchandra Prasad Singh is a second-time Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar. The former IAS officer-turned-politician is the president of Janata Dal (United).
Ashwini Vaishnav
He is a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha. The former IAS officer joined BJP in June 2019. He has handled several responsibilities as a bureaucrat and is known for his work in the PPP (public-private partnership) framework for infrastructure development.
Pashupati Kumar Paras
Pashupati Kumar Paras is the Lok Sabha MP from Hajipur in Bihar. He is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party. A seven-time MLA, he has also served as a minister in Bihar.
Bhupender Yadav
Bhupender Yadav is a two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan. He has been a member of several parliamentary committees. Before joining politics he was an advocate in the Supreme Court.
Pankaj Choudhary
Lok Sabha MP of Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh, Pankaj Choudhary is serving his sixth term as a parliamentarian.
Anupriya Patel
Anupriya Singh Patel from Apna Dal is a second-time Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. She had served as MoS Health in the previous term of the Modi government.
Satyapal Singh Baghel
Satyapal Singh Baghel is a Lok Sabha MP from Agra. He has served as a cabinet minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Minor Irrigation in Uttar Pradesh government.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Rajeev Chandrasekhar is a three-time Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka. The business tycoon-turned-politician has served on various parliamentary standing committees.
Shobha Karandlaje
Shobha Karandlaje is a Lok Sabha MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur in Karnataka. She has served as a cabinet minister in Karnataka and held several portfolios, including Food and Civil Supplies, Power, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj System.
Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma
Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma is a Lok Sabha MP from Jalaun in Uttar Pradesh. He is serving his fifth term as a parliamentarian. A former MLA of Uttar Pradesh, he has been in public life for the last three decades.
Darshana Vikram Jardosh
She is a Lok Sabha MP from Surat, Gujarat. A prominent face of the Gujarat BJP, she has spent close to four decades in public life. She started her political career as a corporator of Surat Municipal Corporation.
Meenakshi Lekhi
The Lok Sabha MP from New Delhi is serving her second term. A prominent face of the BJP in Delhi, Ms Lekhi is a well-known Supreme Court lawyer. She has also served as a member of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Annpurna Devi
A four-time MLA, Annpurna Devi has served as a cabinet minister in Jharkhand. She also served as Minister of State for Mines and Geology in Bihar, at a young age of 30.
A Narayanaswamy
A Narayanaswamy is a first-time Lok Sabha MP from Chitradurg in Karnataka. He has been elected to the Karnataka assembly four times and also served as cabinet minister in the Karnataka government.
Kaushal Kishore
The 61-year-old has over three decades of experience in public life, including as a Minister of State in the UP government. He is currently the Lok Sabha MP from Mohanlalganj in Uttar Pradesh.
Ajay Bhatt
A Lok Sabha MP for Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar in Uttarakhand, Ajay Bhatt is serving his first term. In Uttarakhand, Mr Bhatt held different portfolios in the state cabinet from health to parliamentary affairs. He was a lawyer in Ranikhet before joining politics.
BL Verma
BL Verma, 59, is a first-term MP (Rajya Sabha) from Uttar Pradesh. He has spent over 35 years in public life and has an MA from Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi.
Ajay Kumar
A Lok Sabha MP from Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, Ajay Kumar, 60, has served for three decades in public life. This is his second term as MP. Previously, he was elected to the UP assembly.
Devusinh Chauhan
Serving his second term as MP, Devusinh Chauhan is a Lok Sabha MP for Kheda in Gujarat. Previously, he was elected twice to the Gujarat assembly. Before beginning his political innings, the 56-year-old worked as an engineer in All India Radio.
Bhagwanth Khuba
Khuba is a Lok Sabha MP from Bidar in Karnataka, serving his second term. The 54-year-old has a B.Tech degree in mechanical engineering.
Kapil Moreshwar Patil
A grassroots politician, Patil has served for three decades in various positions - from being a sarpanch to being the president of a zila parishad in Maharashtra.
Pratima Bhoumik
Bhoumik is a first-time Lok Sabha MP for Tripura West. Coming from a humble background, she practices farming. The 52-year-old graduated in Bio-Science from Women's College, Tripura University.
Subhas Sarkar
The first-term Lok Sabha MP for Bankura in West Bengal is a gynaecologist and board member of AIIMS-Kalyani. A life-long social worker, Sarkar, 67, was associated with the Ramakrishna Mission.
Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad
A doctor by profession, Karad has previously served as mayor of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation and chairman of Marathwada Legal Development Corporation. He also runs a multi-specialty hospital and research centre in Aurangabad.
Rajkumar Ranjan Singh
Singh is a first-term MP from Inner Manipur. Before becoming a politician, the 68-year-old was a geography professor for four decades. He has an MA and PhD in Geography from Gauhati University.
Bharati Pravin Pawar
He was a member of Nashik Zila Parishad and worked for eradicating malnutrition and providing clean drinking water. The 42-year-old former medical practitioner holds an MBBS degree in surgery.
Bishweswar Tudu
The 56-year-old is a Lok Sabha MP for Mayurbhanj in Odisha. He worked as an engineer in Odisha's Water Resources department before joining politics.
Shantanu Thakur
He is a first-time Lok Sabha MP for Bongaon in West Bengal. A leader of the Matua community, Thakur, 38, holds a BA in English from Karnataka State Open University and Diploma in Hospitality Management.
Munjapara Mahendrabhai
After having a distinguished career as a cardiologist and professor of medicine in Gujarat, Mahendrabhai contested elections and won from Surendranagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. As a social worker, he served patients through various medical camps.
John Barla
A first-time MP from Alipurduars in West Bengal, John Barla has worked for the rights of tea-garden workers in North Bengal and Assam for two decades. He had himself started off as a tea garden worker at the age of 14.
L Murugan
L Murugan, 44, practised as a lawyer in Madras High Court for 15 years before joining public life full-time. Previously, he served as the vice chairman of the National Commission of Scheduled Castes from 2017 to 2020.
Nisith Pramanik
The youngest of them all, 35-year-old Nisith Pramanik is a first-time MP from Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. He earlier worked as an assistant teacher in a primary school.