NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi added 19 more ministers to his already bloated cabinet this week, adding a number of new MPs to be Ministers of State. Here is the list of the new ministrers.
Vijay Goel (Youth Affairs & Sports (Ind); Water Resources)
His inclusion in the Union Council of Ministers marks a comeback of sorts after BJP virtually removed him from Delhi, where he once hoped to be the chief ministerial face, and sent him to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Goel, 62, a three-time Lok Sabha MP, was a minister in the first NDA government.
Anupriya Patel (Health & Family Welfare)
A first-time MP, the 35-year-old Lady Shri Ram College passout’s OBC roots have positioned her as an important BJP ally in poll-bound UP. She won from Mirzapur on the ticket of Apna Dal, founded by her father and Kurmi leader Sonelal Patel which later split, with the major faction siding with her mother.
Arjun Ram Meghwal (Finance; Corporate Affairs)
A bureaucrat-turned-politician, he is the chief whip of BJP in Lok Sabha. The 61-year-old Dalit leader is known for his penchant for pedalling to Parliament and did the same to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing-in. The two-time MP was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Bikaner.
PP Chaudhary (Law & Justice; Electronics & IT)
From ploughing the fields to being an advocate and a lawmaker, Chaudhary, who cut his teeth in the RSS, has been catapulted to the centrestage of politics. Born in a poor farmer family, the 62-year-old joined the RSS when he was eight. He won from Pali in Rajasthan in 2014.
Mahendra Nath Pandey (Human Resource Development)
One of BJP’s Brahmin faces in Uttar Pradesh, where it is going the whole hog to win after being out of power for a decade-and-a-half, Pandey is a first-time Lok Sabha member from Chandauli, bordering Bihar. The 58-year-old is a two-time MLA.
Ajay Tamta (Textiles)
From an obscure panchayat functionary to a Union Minister, it has been a spectacular political journey for the Dalit leader from Almora, who would turn 44 on July 16. A first-term member of the Lok Sabha, Tamta was a minister in his home state of Uttarakhand between 2007 and 2009.
Rajen Gohain (Railways)
The four-time BJP MP from Assam is a known champion for the cause of small tea growers. Gohain, 65, who was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 from Nagaon, was actively involved in the six-year Assam agitation against illegal immigrants in 1980s. He belongs to the Ahom community, like former CM Tarun Gogoi.
Krishna Raj (Women & Child Development)
A first-time BJP MP and one of the party’s Dalit faces from Uttar Pradesh, the 49-year-old had been a two-time MLA from Mohamadi. A post-graduate, she is active in the Lok Sabha. She belongs to Rohilkhand and her inclusion will give more teeth to the saffron party among SC Pasi electorate.
SS Ahluwalia (Agri & Farmers Welfare; Parliamentary Affairs)
Once a key member of Rajiv Gandhi’s “shouting brigade” along with Mamata Banerjee, Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia, 65, is a fluent orator in Bangla. The MP from Darjeeling, sworn in as MoS, is an expert on legislative issues. He joined the BJP when Vajpayee was PM and is close to LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj.
Jaswantsinh Bhabhor (Tribal Affairs)
The 49-year-old parliamentarian from Dahod is a popular tribal leader of central Gujarat known for an impeccable image and accessible nature. Before entering into politics, Bhabhor served as a teacher in government school. Between 1995 and 2012, he won five Assembly poll from Limkheda seat of Dahod.
Mansukh Mandaviya (Road Transport; Shipping; Chemicals)
The 44-year-old is being groomed by the BJP as the “next generation leader” from the Patel community in Gujarat. He was a student leader of ABVP and was elected as an MLA in 2002. In 2012, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat. His induction comes at a time when BJP is facing Patel quota stir in Gujarat.
Ramdas Athawale (Social Justice & Empowerment)
The Republican Party of India (A) president is rated as the best survivor among all Dalit leaders across Maharashtra. The 56-year-old Rajya Sabha member has shifted allegiance from Congress to NCP to BJP. The MoS berth comes again with an eye to the crucial BMC poll in 2017, where the BJP hopes to trump over Shiv Sena.
Subhash Bhamre (Defence)
An oncologist, the first-time MP’s induction is being seen as an attempt to compensate Maharashtra for the exit of Raosaheb Danve, the new BJP state unit chief. It is also an effort to humour BJP supporters in Jalgaon-Dhule belt, unhappy over the exit of Eknath Khadse from the Devendra Fadnavis Ministry
CR Chaudhary (Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution)
The 68-year-old Nagaur MP is a Jat leader from Rajasthan. He was an officer of Rajasthan Administrative Service before joining politics. Chaudhary became member and later Chairman of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission. The BJP leader represents Nagaur constituency in the Parliament.
Faggan Singh Kulaste (Health & Family Welfare)
The 57-year-old MP from Madhya Pradesh, who is BJP’s tribal face, was one of the three ‘whistleblowers’ in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam. A post-graduate in political science and an LLB, Kulaste came into politics since his college days and won Assembly elections from Niwas constituency of Mandla district in 1990.
Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala (Agri & Farmers Welfare; Panchayati Raj)
A known Modi-loyalist, he belongs to Kadva Patidar community in Gujarat. A two-term Rajya Sabha MP, the Patel leader was the principal of two schools and the chief officer of a civic body before joining politics. The 61-year-old was among those who offered “kar seva” in 1989 in Ayodhya.
MJ Akbar (External Affairs)
His debut as a minister caps a remarkable political turnaround for the journalist-author who forayed into politics as a Congress MP in 1989. Akbar, 65, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha from MP, is seen as modern Muslim voice in BJP who can also be trusted to defend it on the strident Hindutva pitch.
Ramesh C Jigajinagi (Drinking Water & Sanitation)
Known as a go-getter who antagonises no one, the 64-year-old five-time MP is a prominent Dalit face in BJP’s Karnataka unit. Groomed by Ramakrishna Hegde, he joined “Lok Shakti” political outfit formed by his mentor. He joined BJP in 2004 after the death of Hegde.
Anil Madhav Dave (Environment, Forest & Climate Change (Ind))
The two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh is known for his immaculate organisational skills. He shot into prominence in 2003 when he crafted the strategy leading to defeat of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. Holder of a private pilot licence, he organised the World Hindi Conference in Bhopal.