Cabinet Reshuffle: Scindia, Sonowal take oath, Ravi Shankar, Javadekar dropped

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his Cabinet on Wednesday with numerous NDA leaders taking the oath of office.

BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Tatu Rane and former Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal were inducted into the Union cabinet today.

JDU leader R C P Singh and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri also took oath today.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha and former IAS officer was also inducted into the Council of Ministers along with seven-time MP Virendra Kumar.

G Kishan Reddy who held the portfolio of MoS Home Affairs was promoted on Wednesday as he took oath as Cabinet minister.

BJP leader Anurag Singh Thakur, who earlier held the portfolio of MoS Finance was also promoted as a Cabinet minister.

Other leaders who were inducted into the Union Cabinet are — Mansukh Mandaviya, Bhupender Yadav, Parshottam Rupala, Kiren Rijiju, R K Singh and Pashupati Kumar Paras.

While 12 ministers were shown the door, seven others have been elevated in the reshuffle.

Ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle, many Union ministers, including law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”, health minister Harsh Vardhan, chemicals and fertilisers minister D V Sadananda Gowda, labour minister Santosh Gangwar, minister of state for women and child Development Debasree Chaudhuri tendered their resignations on Wednesday.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday accepted all their resignations along with that of Thaawarchand Gehlot, Babul Supriyo, Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao, Rattan Lal Kataria, Pratap and Chandra Sarangi.

Earlier today, many of the probable ministerial candidates also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Sources claim that the PM wanted to give them a heads-up about the possible portfolios to be allotted to them and the high expectations from them. Among those who met PM Modi are Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Sonowal, former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, Kapil Patil (MP from Maharashtra), Meenakshi Lekhi and Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel. BJP president J.P. Nadda, defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah were present during the deliberations.

This is the first reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he assumed charge for a second term in May 2019.