Narendra Modi takes oath for the 3rd term; equals Jawahar Lal Nehru’s feat
On Sunday, Narendra Modi took the oath of office as Prime Minister for the third time in a row at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with 72 ministers. Narendra Modi (73) has equaled Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of three consecutive terms as India’s Prime Minister.
While PM Modi has gained another five years in power, this is the first time he will be sharing power since the BJP lost its full majority in the Lok Sabha following a closely contested election.
The new cabinet will comprise of 72 ministers
The new Council of Ministers will be 72-strong, comprising 11 ministers from NDA partners, in accordance with ‘coalition dharma’. The Modi 3.0 team will consist of 30 Cabinet Ministers, 5 Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Portfolios will be announced later.
Also read: Narendra Modi to take oath at 7:15 pm today; pays tribute to Gandhi, Vajpayee ahead of the event
The Council of Ministers will represent a wide range of social groups, including 27 Other Backward Classes (OBC), ten Scheduled Castes (SC), five Scheduled Tribes (ST), and five Minorities. A record 18 senior Ministers will lead important ministries.
The new members of PM Modi’s Cabinet are BJP leader JP Nadda, former Madhya Pradesh leader Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, six-time Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, and BJP Gujarat unit chief CR Patil. Jitin Prasada, a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, has been sworn in as Minister of State.
Also read: CWC passes resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
Returning faces in Modi 3.0
Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kiren Rijiju, Dharmendra Pradhan, Sarbananda Sonowal, Bhupender Yadav, Giriraj Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and G Kishan Reddy are among the returning faces in Modi 3.0 cabinet.
Union minister from NDA allies
Among NDA allies, LJP (Ram Vilas) chairman Chirag Paswan, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Hindustan Awam Morcha founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singh, and TDP MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu were sworn in as Cabinet ministers. Jayant Chaudhary, the RLD’s chief, took the oath of office as MoS.