Chirag Paswan to HD Kumaraswamy: BJP allies who are now Union Ministers

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 10, 2024: Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for a historic third term on Sunday after being elected the leader of a dozen political parties led by the ruling BJP. He is only the second prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power for the third consecutive time, though this time he will have to share power with his allies. Among the major BJP allies who have got a ministerial berth are JDU, TDP, Shiv Sena, LJP, and other parties.

PM Modi and 71 other ministers took oath at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. They included 30 cabinet ministers, five ministers of state with independent charge, and 36 ministers of state. Eleven of them are from the non-BJP alliance partners. The details of who gets what portfolio are not known yet.

Here’s a look at non-BJP leaders who have taken oath as ministers yesterday:

Cabinet ministers

HD Kumaraswamy (JDS): The Janata Dal (Secular) leader is the son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. He first became the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2006 when he ran a coalition government with the BJP. He assumed the top post again in 2018 when he formed a government in coalition with the Congress.

Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM): An MLA since 1980, the Dalit leader has served as Bihar’s chief minister during 2014-15. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader was the first chief minister from the state’s Musahar community. In Bihar, he has been affiliated with several parties and served as minister under multiple chief ministers.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan Singh (JDU): Popularly known as Lalan Singh, the Bhumihar leader has been among Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s closest aides for years. Mentored by socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, Lalan Singh played a key role in stitching the JDU-RJD alliance in 2022.

Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP): He is among the two TDP leaders who have been assigned ministerial berths, but the only one to get a cabinet rank. He is also the youngest in the council of ministers. His father KY Naidu had served as a Union minister during 1996-98. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party has won 16 seats, the second-best performance by a party in the NDA.

Chirag Paswan (LJPRV): The young leader from Bihar heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which has won five Lok Sabha seats. The former actor has been a member of the Parliament twice in the past, but it’s the first time he has become a part of the Union cabinet. Chirag is the son of Ram Vilas Paswan, who led the consumer affairs ministry until his death in 2020.
Ministers of State (Independent charge)

Jayant Chaudhary (RLD): Mr Chaudhary was once a political rival of the BJP, but aligned his Rashtriya Lok Dal with the NDA in March, and now is part of Modi 3.0. He is the grandson of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, who was recently awarded Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in India.

Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav (Shiv Sena): He is the only leader from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Union Council of ministers. The four-time MP had served as a minister of state in Maharashtra governments led by Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane.
Ministers of State

Ramdas Athawale (RPIA): He heads the Republican Party of India - Athawale, a party with its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation founded by BR Ambedkar. He was the Union Minister of State for Social Justice in the previous Modi cabinet.

Ram Nath Thakur (JDU): Ram Nath Thakur is a key face in Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United. He is the son of Karpoori Thakur, the former chief minister of Bihar who was recently awarded the Bharat Ratna. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal Soneylal): The representative from Mirzapur heads the Apna Dal (Soneylal), a breakaway group of Apna Dal that was formed by her father Sone Lal Patel. Ms Patel was a Minister of State in Commerce and Health ministries in the previous two Modi cabinets.

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (TDP): He was the richest candidate to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Telugu Desam Party leader who bagged the Guntur Lok Sabha seat had won the Ernst and Young Award as a young entrepreneur in 2020 in the US.

Courtesy: NDTV