HIGHLIGHTS | Modi sworn-in as three-time PM; Cabinet berth for 5 allies, 72 ministers in NDA government
Will continue to serve as BJP workers: Leaders not retained in Modi's council of ministers
Several BJP leaders who were not retained in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new council of ministers congratulated him for his third consecutive term at the helm and said they will continue to serve as party workers.
Anurag Thakur, who served as the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the previous term of the Modi government, said he would keep working as a BJP worker and contribute to fulfilling Modi's resolve to make India a developed country.
He congratulated Modi and his "team of ministers" and said all those who have been picked for ministerial positions in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government are "very competent".
They will make "every possible effort" to take the country on the path of progress, Thakur said.
In the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Thakur was reelected to the Lower House of Parliament from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.
Modi Cabinet 3.0: 37 ministers from outgoing govt dropped; Irani, Thakur, Rane, Rupala among prominent names
As many as 37 ministers have been dropped from the government in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term and these include seven with cabinet rank -- prominent among them being Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur and Narayan Rane.
Parshottam Rupala, Arjun Munda, RK Singh and Mahendra Natha Pandey, also held cabinet positions in the second Modi government but were not retained in the Council of Ministers that took oath on Sunday While all three Ministers with Independent Charge have been retained, out of 42 ministers of state, 30 have been dropped.
Those who have not been repeated include VK Singh, Faggansingh Kulaste, Ashwini Choubey, Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Sanjeev Balyan, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Subhas Sarkar, Nisith Pramanik, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Pratima Bhoumik.
L Murugan is the only Minister of State from the previous government who lost the election but has been retained.
He is already a member of the Rajya Sabha.
How Modi's Cabinet grew over three terms: From 45 Members in 2014 to 71 in 2024
The composition of Narendra Modi's Cabinet has evolved over his three terms as Prime Minister.
In 2014, the Cabinet consisted of the Prime Minister, 23 Cabinet Ministers, 10 Ministers of State (Independent Charge), and 12 Ministers of State, totaling 45 members.
In 2019, the Cabinet expanded to include the Prime Minister, 24 Cabinet Ministers, 9 Ministers of State (Independent Charge), and 24 Ministers of State, bringing the total to 57 members.
In 2024, the Cabinet further increased to 71 members, comprising the Prime Minister, 30 Cabinet Ministers, 5 Ministers of State (Independent Charge), and 36 Ministers of State.
It is to be noted that Modi expended his cabinet mid term in the past two government. The expansion during 2014-19 saw 75 ministers induced while the expansion during 2019-2024 saw 77 ministers.
World leaders, who attended the event, congratulate PM Narendra Modi after swearing in ceremony
Oath ceremony of PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government concludes at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, Kerala BJP leader George Kurian and Rajya Sabha member Pabitra Margherita sworn in as Union Ministers of State
With over four decades in the saffron party, George Kurian has held various significant positions, including national vice-president of Yuvamorcha, and vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities.
Rajasthan Secures 4 ministers in Modi 3.0 Cabinet
Despite a significant setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, the state's influence in the Union Cabinet remains strong.
Four Members of Parliament (MPs) from the state—Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Bhupendra Yadav, Arjun Meghwal, and Bhagirath Chaudhary—will be included in the Union Cabinet. This development is surprising, given the BJP's history of clean sweeps in Rajasthan, contrasted with the recent reduction to only 14 seats.
Of these, Bhagirath Chaudhary will become a minister for the first time.
Among the four MPs from Rajasthan set to become ministers, two are from the OBC category, one is Dalit, and one is from the general category.
Bhupendra Yadav and Bhagirath Chaudhary belong to the OBC category, with Bhagirath being part of the Jat community.
Arjun Ram Meghwal is a prominent Dalit figure from Rajasthan, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat comes from the Rajput community.
Besides these four faces, Ashwini Vaishnav will also represent Rajasthan. Vaishnav, a Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, has previously served as a minister in Modi's second term. He hails originally from Jodhpur.
BJP tries to strike caste balance, inducts 9 faces from UP
The BJP, which lost nearly half of its seats in 2024 compared to its tally of 62 in 2019 in Uttar Pradesh, has inducted 9 ministers from the state into Modi 3.0, alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh.
Others sworn in as ministers from Uttar Pradesh include RLD chief Jayant Chaudhury, BJP's Pilibhit MP Jitin Prasada, Apna Dal (S) chief and Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel, Gonda MP Kirti Vardhan Singh, Maharajganj MP Pankaj Chaudhury, Bansgaon MP Kamlesh Paswan, Agra MP SPS Baghel, and two Rajya Sabha members, Hardeep Puri and BL Verma.
Political observers note that reducing the number of ministers from Uttar Pradesh might impact caste equations in the state, which saw a significant shift of OBC and SC votes away from the BJP to the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
From Uttar Pradesh, the new Cabinet includes three upper caste members, four OBC members, and two Dalit members, in addition to Prime Minister Modi and Hardeep Puri.
Bihar gets 8 ministers in union cabinet, focus on performance, caste equation
Eight leaders from Bihar were sworn in as ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet 3.0 on Sunday evening, with a special focus on achieving the right caste balance in the union council of ministers from the state.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Modi and his cabinet ministers at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan’s forecourt in New Delhi on Sunday.
Former Bihar Chief Minister and HAM(S) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) MP from Munger Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, BJP MP from Begusarai Giriraj Singh, and LJP (RV) MP from Hajipur Chirag Paswan were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
The remaining four MPs—Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur), Raj Bhushan Choudhary Nishad, BJP MP from Muzaffarpur, and two Rajya Sabha members Satish Chandra Dubey and Ram Nath Thakur—have been appointed union ministers of state.
5 NDA allies get one Cabinet berth each
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to win a simple majority, making it dependent on allies whose MPs also took the oath of office as Cabinet ministers.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, HAM (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', TDP's K Ram Mohan Naidu and LJP-RV leader Chirag Paswan got one Cabinet berth each.
Kumaraswamy and Manjhi are former chief ministers of Karnataka and Bihar respectively.
Gonda MP Kirti Vardhan Singh, Rajya Sabha member BL Verma and Bangaon MP Shantanu Thakur sworn in as Union Ministers of State
Shantanu Thakur, a second-time BJP MP from West Bengal's Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency and a leading figure of the backward Matua community in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, was inducted into the Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Thakur has been a strong advocate of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) since 2019, asserting it would grant "legal citizenship" to members of the Matua community.
He sought to alleviate confusion among the Matuas regarding the submission of applications for citizenship under the CAA, weathering all opposition attacks from the TMC and other parties. He further claimed that while Aadhaar cards do not grant constitutional citizenship upon the Matuas, the CAA would rectify this.
TDP leader Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, Agra MP SP Singh Baghel and Bangalore North MP Shobha Karandlaje sworn in as Union Ministers of State
Actor Suresh Gopi sworn in as Union Minister of State
He was trolled during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, but despite the tactics by his rivals, action hero Suresh Gopi rose to national stardom in cinema style on June 4, winning the Thrissur seat on a BJP ticket and scripting history for the saffron party in Kerala.
In other words, the saffron party's decades-long struggle in Kerala -- a state historically dominated by the Left and the Congress -- and marked by numerous challenges since the Jan Sangh days, finally yielded fruit in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls through Gopi.
Post-victory also, Gopi's political career saw cinematic twists, with his initial reluctance to accept a ministerial berth in the government, citing his commitment to the people of Thrissur and agreements he had signed for a couple of movies, one of which is produced by the company of megastar Mammootty, whom he affectionately calls Mammookka.
He had returned to Kerala after attending the NDA MPs' meeting two days ago, but he got a call from Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi on Sunday, asking him to reach Delhi immediately. "He (Modi) decided. I obeyed," Gopi said before rushing to the airport with his family.
Known for his 'mass' performances in action and drama films, Gopi's nearly decade-long efforts helped him turn the BJP's long-held dream into reality by winning the central Kerala constituency of Thrissur by a thumping margin of nearly 75,000 votes.
Bharat Ratna recipient Karpoori Thakur's son Ram Nath becomes central minister
JD(U)'s two-time Rajya Sabha MP, Ram Nath Thakur, the son of socialist icon and Bharat Ratna recipient Karpoori Thakur, is credited for carrying forward the movement initiated by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan and Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur for empowering the underprivileged.
Thakur is a popular leader among the extremely backward and backward classes in Bihar. He comes from the 'Nai' (barber) community that forms around 1.60 per cent of population in the state. The Nai community falls under the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) category, which constitutes more than 36 per cent of the state's population.
He is considered close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Political observers believe that the previous NDA government's decision to confer the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, upon the late Karpoori Thakur just before the notification of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was a strong political statement.
Tumakuru MP Somanna, who lost to Siddaramaiah in Karnataka Assembly polls, gets Central berth
BJP leader V Somanna, who reluctantly and unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Assembly polls a year ago, is now part of the new union council of ministers, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It seems to be a sweet turn of events for Somanna, who was reportedly sulking and there were speculations about him allegedly planning to join the Congress, over being sidelined by the BJP, ahead of 2023 Assembly elections. The veteran leader, however, had denied it.
He won the Tumkur Lok Sabha segment by a margin of 1,75,594 votes, against Congress' SP Muddahanumegowda in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Faridabad MP Krishan Pal, RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, JD(U) leader Ramnath Thakur take oath as Ministers of State
Ujiarpur MP Nityananad Rai, Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel sworn in as Union Ministers of State
BJP MP Nityanand Rai, who was inducted in the Narendra Modi 3.0 government on Sunday, has emerged as the BJP's Yadav face in Bihar over the years. Rai, whom senior BJP leader Amit Shah calls his "jigree dost" (close friend), could even emerge as a leading contender for the chief minister's chair in Bihar in the coming years, political pundits believe.
The BJP promoted him as a Yadav face in Bihar in a bid to counter RJD's traditional Yadav vote base and had given him responsibility as state president of the party in 2016.
Pilibhit MP Jitin Prasada, North Goa MP Shripad Yesso Naik and Maharajganj MP Pankaj Chaudhary take oath as Union Ministers of State
Shiv Sena leader Prataprao Jadhav takes oath as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh, Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal take oath as Union Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary takes oath as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Once a political rival of the BJP, Jayant Chaudhary aligned his Rashtriya Lok Dal with the NDA in March.
The warming up of ties became apparent after the Centre announced the country's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna to his grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Jayant Chaudhary took oath as a Union minister of state (independent charge) in the third Narendra Modi government on Sunday, almost a year after he had rubbished speculations of cosying up to the BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third consecutive term at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Sunday.
Along with Modi, senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah also took oath as cabinet ministers, while party president J P Nadda returned to the cabinet after five years, indicating the Prime Minister's focus on continuity and experience in his third term.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to them.
Modi, 73, first became prime minister in 2014 and then returned to office in 2019. He is the second PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected for a third consecutive term. Modi was re-elected to Lok Sabha from Varanasi.
Top leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region -- Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif -- were special guests at the function.
Nearly 9,000 people were estimated to be present at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to witness the swearing-in ceremony.
BJP leaders Rao Inderjit Singh and CR Patil sworn-in as Union ministers
Inderjit Singh takes oath as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan sworn-in as Union Cabinet Minister
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has solidified his status as the 'real' political heir of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan.
In a stunning turn of events, Chirag was inducted into the Narendra Modi government on Sunday, marking a remarkable comeback in Bihar's turbulent political landscape.
Chirag's meteoric rise came by winning all five Lok Sabha seats allocated to the party in the NDA alliance in the recent elections, maintaining the party's 100 percent strike rate.
This sensational success has catapulted him as the new Dalit icon in Bihar politics, overshadowing many seasoned politicians.
In a stark contrast to this victory, the 2019 elections had seen LJP, under Ram Vilas Paswan's leadership, sweep all six seats allotted to the party.
Hardeep Singh Puri, Mansukh Mandaviya and G Kishan Reddy take oath as Union Cabinet ministers
BJP leader from Jharkhand Annapurna Devi and Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh take oath as Union Cabinet ministers
Politics was never on the cards for homemaker Annapurna Devi, who was sworn in as Union Minister in the Narendra Modi government on Sunday.
Her life took a dramatic turn when her husband, Ramesh Yadav, an RJD legislator, died suddenly in 1998. Thrust into the political arena by fate, she embarked on an arduous journey down an untrodden path.
Now, she has secured a seat in the Modi 3.0 government, a move seen as the BJP's bold strategy to consolidate a sizable OBC vote bank ahead of the crucial Assembly elections later this year. This unexpected rise to power has set political circles abuzz with speculation and intrigue.
Kiren Rijiju, who took oath as a Cabinet minister in the third Narendra Modi government on Sunday, said he will continue to work with all sincerity and dedication to fulfil the prime minister's dream of a developed India.
Rijiju, who continues as a minister for the third consecutive time -- first as a minister of state and then a Cabinet minister -- said he is thankful to the prime minister for giving him the opportunity to serve in his ministry.
BJP leaders Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Giriraj Singh, Bhupender Yadav take oath as Union Cabinet ministers
Ashwini Vaishnaw takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister
Bureaucrat-turned-politician Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was known for his efforts for the railway sector reforms and establishment of the public-private partnership model in infrastructure projects, was inducted into the Union Cabinet again on Sunday.
The 53-year-old Rajya Sabha member from Odisha was appointed as deputy secretary in the office of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002 when the BJP had an alliance with the BJD.
In July 2021, his induction to the Narendra Modi cabinet 2.0 was a surprise to many, and Vaishnaw, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, was entrusted with the responsibility for important portfolios like railways, communications and electronics and information technology. He earned praise not only from the prime minister but also from his cabinet colleagues on many occasions.
During his tenure as an IAS officer, Vaishnaw served the people of Sundargarh, Balasore and Cuttack of Odisha and was lauded for his proactive measures during the 'super cyclone' that hit the eastern state in October-November in 1999.
During his brief stint in the PMO in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, his efforts to push for the public-private partnership model in infrastructure projects were appreciated.
Jyotiraditya Scindia takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister
Jyotiraditya Scindia's induction into the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led council of ministers has cemented his importance in the BJP setup since he quit the Congress four years ago, marking the beginning of his second stint in the cabinet as a saffron party leader.
In the 2024 general elections, Scindia, 53, secured a landslide victory from his traditional Guna seat, contesting as a BJP candidate for the first time, with a record margin of over 5 lakh votes.
The BJP has won all 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, also wresting the Chhindwara seat, the last stronghold of Congress from the Kamal Nath family, which it had failed to win in 2019.
On Sunday, Scindia was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi 3.0 government. He won the Guna seat by a margin of 5,40,929 votes, defeating Congress's Yadvendra Rao Deshraj Singh.
In 2020, Scindia was first inducted as Union minister in the Modi government and assigned Civil Aviation portfolio after he helped the BJP topple the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Scindia's ministerial appointment comes as a recognition of his notable performance as the Civil Aviation and Steel Minister, according to sources close to him.
BJP leaders Pralhad Joshi, Jual Oram, Virendra Kumar takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister
TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu sworn-in as Union Cabinet Minister
From a promising young leader to the 'youngest-ever Central Cabinet Minister', Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu's journey exemplifies a blend of loyalty to his party, the TDP and unflinching commitment to public service.
At a young age of 37, K Ram Mohan Naidu who took oath as a cabinet Minister on Sunday is an MP from Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency.
He is the son of late TDP leader K Yerran Naidu, former union minister in the United front government in 1996, who died in an accident more than a decade ago.
Former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal takes oath as Union Cabinet Minister
Assam MP Sarbananda Sonowal, a fire-brand student leader who battled odds to become chief minister, was on Sunday inducted into the Narendra Modi-led cabinet for the third time.
Sonowal was the Minister of State for Sports & Youth Welfare for two years from 2014, as the northeast's sole representative in the Union Council of Ministers, before he scripted BJP's historic win in Assam to become the CM, only to relinquish the post and become a cabinet minister in the Modi 2.0 government in 2021.
From the rough and tumble of student politics to becoming a minister thrice, Sonowal's political journey has been punctuated by twists and turns along the way.
White kurta with blue jacket: Modi's pick for swearing-in ceremony
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a white kurta and churidar with a blue chequered jacket as he took oath for the consecutive third time on Sunday.
Modi paired his dress with black shoes for the swearing-in ceremony at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
When he took oath as the prime minister for the first time in 2014, Modi had worn a cream linen kurta-pyjama with a beige golden jacket.
For his 2019 swearing-in ceremony, the prime minister had chosen a similar dress paired with a beige jacket.
Kurtas and bandhgala jackets are Modi's popular choice on important occasions. He is also known for sporting flamboyant and colourful turbans during Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.
JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias 'Lalan Singh' sworn in as Union Minister
Senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan popularly known as Lalan Singh, who was inducted as a minister in the Narendra Modi government on Sunday, has been among Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's closest aides for many years.
This Bhumihar leader has always been party supremo Kumar's strength, as this caste in Bihar is known to have wide political influence despite its small size. Singh won from Munger Lok Sabha seat for the third time. He had also represented the Begusarai constituency seat once, between 2004 and 2009.
According to political observers, though Yadavs and Muslims are the traditional support bases of the RJD in certain areas of Munger, Jamalpur and Lahkisarai, Bhumihars and other upper-caste groups have been supporting Singh for the last several years.
Claims and counter-claims over an alleged rift between Singh and Nitish Kumar made headlines a few months ago as the political equations changed in the following months. Lalan was instrumental in stitching the JD(U)-RJD alliance in 2022.
Former Bihar CM and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi sworn in as Union Minister
Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has been a formidable force in Bihar's political arena, was made a central minister on Sunday.
Manjhi's rise has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since 2014, he has relentlessly pursued the Gaya Lok Sabha seat, facing one crushing defeat after another before finally wresting the seat this time. In 2014, he finished third while contesting as a JD(U) candidate.
Undeterred, he tried again in 2019 under the HAM(S) banner, only to suffer a staggering loss to the JD(U). But this time, his perseverance paid off as he finally clinched the coveted seat. Now, at nearly 80 years old, Manjhi stands triumphant, defying the odds once again.
Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan sworn-in as Union ministers
Piyush Goyal, who won his maiden Lok Sabha contest this year, held multiple portfolios including Commerce and Industry; and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the previous Modi government.
Dharmendra Pradhan also held multiple portfolios including Education; Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Petroleum and Natural Gas during the previous government.
His re-entry into the hallowed halls of power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aegis is not merely a routine reshuffle but a spectacle of political theatre as he became the lone warrior from Odisha to take oath as an Union minister for the third time.
Son of a doctor and former Union minister Debendra Pradhan, Dharmendra was born on June 26, 1969 and gained the fame of being known as the 'Ujjwala Man' across the country.
During his tenure as a Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Pradhan was instrumental in making Modi's PM Ujjwala Yojana successful under which the poor women were given free of cost cooking gas cylinders.
Dharmendra Pradhan has created a history for being the longest serving Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas in the history of independent India. He joined as the Minister of State (In-charge) in 2014, he was later promoted to the Cabinet rank in 2017. On May 31, 2019, Pradhan began his second consecutive tenure at the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
JD(S) leader and former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy sworn in as Union minister
Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar sworn-in as Cabinet Minister
From being an RSS worker once to being hand-picked as chief minister in 2014 to being replaced with his confidante ten years later, 70-year-old Manohar Lal Khattar has seen it all.
Khattar, a bachelor, worked for almost 40 years as an RSS pracharak.
He joined the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh as a permanent member in 1977 and stayed with it for 17 years before he was made a member of the BJP in 1994.
In 2014, he became the MLA for the first time and was tapped to become the chief minister of Haryana by the BJP. Ten years later, in March 2024, he was replaced by his confidante Nayab Singh Saini, to allow him a chance to become a Member of Parliament.
Contesting his first Lok Sabha polls from Karnal, Khattar defeated Congress's Divyanshu Budhiraja by an impressive margin of over 2.35 lakh votes.
According to some accounts, Khattar is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he worked with in the 1990s in party organisation.
S Jaishankar follows, takes oath as Cabinet Minister
Jaishankar held the External Affairs (Foreign Minister) portfolio between 2019-2024, succeeding late Sushma Swaraj, who held the same office in the first Modi government.
When S Jaishankar became India's external affairs minister in May 2019, he was largely considered a political lightweight despite his undisputed mastery over foreign policy.
In the course of the last five years, he has not only managed to shed that perception but confidently established himself as someone who shaped an assertive foreign policy navigating various geo-political challenges.
The 69-year-old Jaishankar, whose illustrious diplomatic career spanned four decades, on Sunday took oath as a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet.
If he retains the external affairs ministry portfolio, then his immediate focus area would remain three-fold: the challenges arising out of China's bullying tactics along the frontier, protecting India's interest in view of the ongoing situation in West Asia and the conflict in Ukraine.
Known for his extraordinary sharpness and efficiency, the external affairs minister has earned kudos within India, especially from the youths, primarily for his decisive articulation of India's foreign policy priorities.
Some of his videos of public speeches and interviews have become very popular on various online platforms.
As the external affairs minister, Jaishankar, who is an ardent admirer of Modi, displayed with confidence his ability to clearly articulate India's positions on a range of complex issues on the global stage.
Nirmala Sitharaman sworn-in as Cabinet Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman, who joined the likes of Arun Jaitley and Manmohan Singh by serving a full term as Finance Minister and is credited with carrying forward second-generation reforms, created a record by being the first woman to be sworn in as minister for the third consecutive term of the Modi government.
Being a fiery spokesperson of the BJP, she was inducted into the Cabinet when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the NDA government in 2014.
As a staunch defender of the Modi government's economic policies and executor, she created a record when she was appointed as the first female Raksha Mantri, or Defence Minister, in 2017. Prior to that, she was industry and commerce minister.
When her mentor Arun Jaitley took ill, Sitharaman was given the charge of the finance portfolio in the newly re-elected Modi government after the 2019 general elections, when BJP won its highest seats of 303.
She became the first full-time woman Finance Minister in Independent India. Earlier, Indira Gandhi had held finance as an additional portfolio for a short duration when she was the prime minister of India.
Ex-MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan sworn-in as Cabinet Minister for first time
Proving wrong his detractors' claim of being sidelined after denial of CM's post for fifth time last year, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan won Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha Lok Sabha seat for the sixth time by a record margin of 8.21 lakh votes.
The former four-time MP chief minister, popularly known as "mama" (maternal uncle) and "paon-paon wale bhaiya" (foot soldier), assiduously worked on his 'soil of the soil' image and identified himself with the socio-economic concerns of farmers, villagers, women and children in the state.
During his more than 18-year-tenure as the CM, barring 15 months of Congress rule (in 2018), Chouhan transformed himself from being a shy, simple and vulnerable politician to a wily leader with a mass appeal and unparallel hard work.
Having the image of a soft-spoken man coupled with simplicity, the 65-year-old leader led the BJP's campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in the state, presenting himself as one among the people, promising further development and no dearth of funds for populist schemes launched under his leadership.
On Sunday, Chouhan became the Union cabinet minister for the first time in his more than three-decade-long political career.
BJP President JP Nadda returns to Cabinet, sworn-in as Union Minister
After leading the BJP as its national president for more than four years, JP Nadda returned to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers on Sunday. The 63-year old took oath as a Cabinet minister, becoming the sole representative from Himachal Pradesh in the BJP-led government.
He served as Union health minister in Modi's first term from November 9, 2014, to May 30, 2019.
It is not yet known which ministry will be assigned to him.
Nadda, who holds a degree in law, started his political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He became president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, in 1991.
He held various key positions in the BJP, headed its election campaign in a host of states -- from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Punjab.
After Shah, Nitin Gadkari takes oath as Cabinet Minister
Senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, popularly referred as the 'Highway Man of India', is known to be a go-getter in whatever work he undertakes.
The 67-year-old leader from Nagpur in Maharashtra has been the longest serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways as he held the portfolio in the last two governments led by Narendra Modi.
Gadkari is credited with the construction of more than 90,000 km of national highways and 30,000 km of new roads in the country in the last 10 years.
The former BJP president, closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has won three consecutive times from the Lok Sabha seat of Nagpur, which houses the RSS headquarters.
Gadkari's foray into national politics came when he was appointed president of the BJP in 2009.
Since 2014, when Gadkari made his debut in the Lok Sabha polls from Nagpur and became a minister at the Centre, he has handled several portfolios like the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
After Rajnath, senior BJP leader Amit Shah take oath as Cabinet Minister
Recognised for his political acumen and strategic prowess, senior BJP leader Amit Shah has played a pivotal role in the phenomenal growth of the saffron party which helped it to cross the 300-seat mark in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Known as the second most influential figure in the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a person dedicated to the saffron ideology, 59-year-old Shah rose as the BJP's master organiser when its alliance secured 73 seats from Uttar Pradesh in 2014 under his leadership as the party's general secretary.
Often likened to the modern-day Chanakya, Shah made history by becoming the youngest president of the Bharatiya Janata Party at 49 in 2014, later assuming office as one of the youngest Union Home Ministers at 54 in 2019.
After PM Modi, senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh takes oath as Cabinet Minister
A strategist and a quintessential political leader with grassroots connect, Rajnath Singh is credited with expanding the BJP's organisational network in the Hindi heartland state of Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s and the subsequent decades.
Hailing from the Chandauli district of the politically crucial state, Singh is known as a moderate face and is widely respected by leaders cutting across party lines.
The 72-year-old Singh, whose illustrious political career spanned over five decades, on Sunday took oath as a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet.
Long seen as a protege of BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh started his political career as a student activist with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and went on to become the BJP national president in 2005.
The senior BJP leader was elected for another term as the party president in January 2013.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Singh retained the prestigious Lucknow constituency.
Narendra Modi sworn-in as Prime Minister for third consecutive term
Modi becomes only the second prime minister to be elected to three consecutive terms. The country’s first post-independence leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, ruled India for 17 years following its 1947 independence from Britain.
President Murmu administers oath of office to PM-designate Narendra Modi
President Droupadi Murmu arrives to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and his Cabinet
Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to take oath for third consecutive term along with his Cabinet, shortly
Modi sarkar 3.0: 72 ministers; 61 from BJP, 11 from NDA allies will take oath as part of India's first coalition government after a decade
World leaders seated at Rashtrapati Bhavan for swearin-in ceremony
Outgoing MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar confirms being dropped from Modi Cabinet
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina arrives at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the oath ceremony
Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth arrives at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the oath ceremony
Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay arrives at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the oath ceremony
Kollywood Superstar Rajinikanth arrives at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for oath ceremony
Shah, Gadkari seated at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan for the oath ceremony
Senior BJP leaders and outgoing Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari will be inducted into the next NDA Cabinet. Shah held the Home Affairs portfolio, while Gadkari held the Road Transport & Highways portfolio in the outgoing Modi 2.0 government.
Mukesh Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan arrive at Rashtrapathi Bhavan
Gautam Adani, Akshay Kumar at swearing-in ceremony
Stage set for oath ceremony of PM-designate Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan
BJP leaders begin to arrive for oath ceremony
No place for Ajit's NCP amid tussle over Cabinet berth
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is part of the Mahayuti Alliance with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, is set to lose out on a Cabinet berth in the NDA government. This comes amid reports of unfulfilled demands over a Cabinet berth for NCP's Paraful Patel.
On Sunday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Ajit's NCP was offered a Minister of State (independent portfolio) position and that NCP leader Praful Patel, who was previously a Cabinet minister, refused to be an MoS.
The BJP leader added that there are issues to be resolved between both sides and that they will be sorted out soon, while Ajit Pawar reiterated his support for the NDA government despite the ministry snub.
Some of the big names attending swearing-in ceremony
People from the business world, including Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, Anand Piramal, Gautam Adani with his wife Priti Adani and brother Rajesh Adani, would be attending the ceremony.
Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor, and Kollywood Superstar Rajinikanth will also attend the ceremony.
Transgender community members, sanitation workers, labourers to attend Modi's oath ceremony
People from transgender community, labourers and sanitation workers, who built new parliament building, have been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and the new cabinet of ministers.
Before the ceremony, BJP MP and former Social Justice and Empowerment minister Virendra Kumar felicitated the transgender community members at his residence while BJP MP and former Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat felicitated sanitation workers.
This is the first time that people from the transgender community are formally invited for the swearing-in ceremony. These participants have made contribution in the empowerment of the transgender community, Kumar said.
7 world leaders in Delhi for Modi's oath ceremony
Top leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region, including Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, arrived in Delhi on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and the Union council of ministers.
Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay also reached Delhi for the ceremony where Modi will take the oath for the third straight term along with his ministerial colleagues.
Bangladesh President Sheikh Hasina and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif arrived in Delhi on Saturday.
Among the foreign leaders, Muizzu's visit has assumed greater significance as it came against the backdrop of the ties between India and the Maldives witnessing significant strain.
It is Muizzu's first visit to India after he became the island nation's president on November 17 last year.
Congress chief Kharge to attend swearing-in ceremony
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the prime minister on Sunday evening, sources close to him said.
An invite was sent to Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they said.
Sources close to Kharge said that he would be attending the function.
However, none of the Opposition leaders would be attending the oath-taking of Modi and his cabinet.
Modi govt 3.0: Two ministerial berths for JD(U); Jayant, Manjhi, HDK set to inducted
The JD(U), which is the third largest party in the NDA after the BJP and TDP, will get two ministerial berths. JD(U)'s Lalan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur will be inducted into the NDA Cabinet.
Others NDA allies who take oath today includes LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, Shiv Sena's Prataprao Jadhav, former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary.
Former NDA ministers Anupriya Patel of the Apna Dal (S) and RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale will be also be taking oath.
Kerala set for two ministerial berth via Suresh Gopi, George Kurian
Kerala, where the BJP finally made inroads in this year's elections, is set to be rewarded with two ministerial berths in the NDA cabinet.
Actor and Thrissur Lok Sabha candidate Suresh Gopi, who won the BJP's first seat in the state, is set to be included in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet.
However, a surprise addition is the inclusion of 63-year-old BJP leader George Kurien in the NDA cabinet.
Speculation about Kurien's cabinet entry surfaced following his presence at a meeting with PM Modi on Sunday morning.
But who is George Kurien? CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Chandrababu Naidu's TDP set for two ministerial berths
Telugu Desam Party leader Ram Mohan Naidu will be sworn in as a Cabinet minister and another party MP Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani as a minister of state in the Modi 3.0 government.
Naidu is a three-time Lok Sabha member while Pemmasani, considered to be the richest MP, was elected to the House for the first time.
According to sources, the TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is said to be lobbying with the Centre for more financial assistance for various projects in the State, rather than insisting on Cabinet berths.
With 16 MPs, Naidu's TDP is the biggest contributor to the NDA after the BJP, following the party's strong performance in this year's general elections and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.
Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur, Rajeev Chandrasekhar likely to be dropped
Over 65 ministers are likely to take oath in today's ceremony.
However, surprise omissions might include BJP's outgoing ministers Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur and Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Anurag is the outgoing information and broadcasting minister who won from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur constituency again. He is expected to be dropped and was not among the leaders invited to meet Modi earlier today.
Outgoing ministers Smriti, who suffered a big defeat in Amethi, and Parshottam Rupala, who won but whose remarks on Rajput community during the polls had triggered a massive row, are also unlikely to find a place in the new government.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who lost to Shashi Tharoor in a close contest, is also likely to be missing from the new government.
Narendra Modi will be sworn in for the third time as India's Prime Minister this evening, as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forms the government at the Centre. President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office to Modi and his Council of Ministers at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan around 7:15 p.m.
Amid speculation about the NDA cabinet composition, Modi is expected to signal continuity by inducting most key members of his outgoing government into the Council of Ministers.
Earlier today, Modi met with some newly elected MPs, who are likely to be sworn in as Union Ministers. Based on the meeting, it is expected that over 65 ministers will take the oath as part of the country's first coalition government after 10 years.
Top leaders from India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, including Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif, are in Delhi to attend the ceremony.
Approximately 1,100 Delhi Police traffic personnel have been deployed, and an advisory has been issued to the public regarding traffic movement. Route arrangements have been made for the delegates as part of the ceremony preparations.
Who gets what in NDA's coalition government?
The BJP, which managed to win 240 seats—32 short of the magic number—in this year's general elections, is now slated to form the country's first coalition government in a decade.
This has heightened speculation over who will make it into the Cabinet and who might be excluded, following days of negotiations between the BJP and its NDA allies.
It is widely expected that familiar faces from Modi's previous government will be retained.
This includes BJP heavyweights like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nityanand Rai, Jyotiraditya Scindia, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Jitendra Singh, who are likely to be inducted into the new Cabinet.
However, significant questions remain over which NDA allies will receive key positions and the potential exclusion of some prominent BJP leaders from the outgoing Modi administration.