6 former chief ministers sworn into PM Modi's new Cabinet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's newly formed cabinet includes six former chief ministers. The 30-member cabinet was sworn in at a ceremony attended by approximately 9,000 guests at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. The six new ministers are former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar, former Uttar Pradesh CM Rajnath Singh, former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, and former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy.
PM Modi's Cabinet: A blend of experience and diversity
The new government comprises 30 cabinet ministers, five ministers of state with independent charge and 36 ministers of state. The council also features 23 members who have previously served as state ministers and 39 former central government ministers. Additionally, the cabinet includes 11 representatives from National Democratic Alliance (NDA)allies. Among them are Telugu Desam Party leader Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader Anupriya Patel, Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale and Shiv Sena's Prataprao Jadhav, among others.
A roster of veteran politicians
Meanwhile, the top echelon of PM Modi's cabinet includes seasoned politicians such as Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Pralhad Joshi, and Giriraj Singh. The oath of office was administered to all the ministers by President Droupadi Murmu. BJP chief JP Nadda, who was in charge of the health ministry in the first cabinet of PM Modi, also returned as a minister in the cabinet.
International and domestic dignitaries attend Cabinet swearing-in
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by both international and domestic dignitaries. Heads of state from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region were present, including 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. Notable domestic leaders in attendance included Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, among others.
