While the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained several previous Cabinet ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharam and Smriti Irani, it also includes several first-timers.

The big names on the first-timers’ list are BJP President Amit Shah and former foreign secretary S. Jaishankar. Others who join the council of ministers for the first time include Rattan Lal Kataria, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, RCP Singh, G Kishan Reddy, Suresh Angadi, Kailash Choudhary, Pralhad Joshi, Som Parkash, Rameshwar Teli, Subrat Pathak, Deboshree Choudhury and Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

It should be noted that this is not the complete list of ministers. The full official list of Cabinet ministers will be released later.

Amit Shah, the current national president of the BJP, has never held a Union Cabinet post before. He is one of the most successful presidents of the party after leading it to two back-to-back thumping victories in the general elections. In 2019, he successfully contested from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat.

S. Jaishankar.

For former foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, who played a key role in shaping the foreign policy of PM Modi’s first term, induction in the Council of Ministers marks a recognition of the exceptional work of what he did in the foreign ministry.

Known for his acumen, sharpness and extraordinary efficiency, the 64-year-old Indian Foreign Service officer took oath as a Cabinet minister though he is not a member of either Houses of Parliament.

The 1977 batch officer has served in various capacities in the External Affairs Ministry and as India's envoy in key countries like the US and China.

He was the foreign secretary from January 2015 to January 2018 and played a key role in shaping Modi's foreign policy during his first term, which saw a significant growth and expansion of India's ties with key countries, particularly the US and the Arab nations.

Prior to that, during his tenure as India's ambassador to the US from September 2013 till taking over as the foreign secretary, he played a major role in bringing the US administration and the Modi government closer.

He also planned and executed a highly successful maiden visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US in September 2014 and his landmark address to the Indian diaspora at the Madison Square.

Ramesh Pokhriyal is a key BJP strategist in Uttarakhand where he has served as the chief minister from 2009 to 2011. He had held multiple positions in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet led by former UP CM Kalyan Singh. He is the sitting MP from the Haridwar constituency which he first won in 2014.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi, BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, is the minister of women's welfare and tourism in the Uttar Pradesh government. She won the Lok Sabha elections from Allahabad, defeating her nearest rival, Samajwadi Party's Rajendra Singh Patel by 1,84,275 votes.

Joshi, 69, had joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting the Congress -- her party for 24 years. She had heavily criticised the then Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that his leadership was acceptable to none.

She had served as the Congress' UP chief and is the daughter of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, one of the tallest leaders of the party and a former chief minister.

Suresh Angadi has been affiliated with the BJP for over 25 years. He has been the sitting Member of Parliament from the Belgaum seat since 2004 and won from the constituency for the fourth time in the 2019 general elections. Angadi is a close relative of former Karnataka minister VS Koujalagi.

First Published:May 30, 2019 9:22 PM IST