MODI 3.0

From Chirag Paswan to HD Kumaraswamy, know the allies who form Modi's Council of Ministers

Delhi: Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Sunday, becoming only the second PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to secure a third consecutive term. Among the allies of the BJP, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, HAM (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Lalan Singh and TDP's K Ram Mohan Naidu also took the oath of office as ministers.

These are the allies of the National Democratic Front who have made it into Modi's Council of Ministers:

HD Kumaraswamy (JDU): Haradanahalli Devegowda Kumaraswamy, was the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2018 to 2019, and previously from 2006 to 2007. He served as the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 2013 to 2014.

Chirag Paswan (LJP): Chirag Kumar Paswan, a former actor, is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party, which is part of the NDA coalition. He is the son of the late Member of Parliament and Union Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan.

Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP): The TDP MP representing the Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh. He emerged victorious in the Indian general elections of 2014 and 2019 as a candidate of the Telugu Desam Party.

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (TDP): Representing Guntur, the 48-year-old doctor was one of the wealthiest contestants in the elections, with his family holding assets valued at over ₹5,785 crore. After earning his MBBS from Dr NTR University of Health Sciences in 1999, Dr Chandra Sekhar pursued an MD in Internal Medicine in the United States.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JDU): The 69-year-old four-term MP, popularly known as Lalan Singh, is a former JD(U) national president and Bihar minister. He has been one of Nitish Kumar's closest allies and was mentored by socialist icon and former chief minister Karpoori Thakur. He represented the Begusarai seat from 2004 to 2009 and won the Munger seat in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Ram Nath Thakur (JDU): Son of former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, he serves as an MP in the Rajya Sabha. Previously, he was a member of the Bihar Legislative Council and served as the Minister of Sugarcane Industries in Lalu Prasad Yadav's first cabinet. From November 2005 to November 2010, he held the positions of Minister of Revenue and Land Reforms, Law, and Information and Public Relations in Nitish Kumar's second ministry. Thakur was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the term from April 2014 to April 2020.

Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal): The president of the Apna Dal (Sonelal) faction since 2016, Anupriya has served as the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry since 2021. Representing Mirzapur in the Lok Sabha since 2014, she was also the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from 2016 to 2019.

Jayant Chaudhary (RLD): A Rajya Sabha MP of the Rashtriya Lok Dal is known for his grassroots connection and leadership. He has represented Uttar Pradesh's Mathura constituency in the Lok Sabha.

Pratap Rao Jadhav (Shiv Sena - Shinde): A four-term MP and three-term MLA in the Maharashtra, Jadhav was also a minister in the first Shiv Sena-BJP government from 1995-99.

Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM-S): The former Bihar chief minister took oath for his third consecutive term. The Hindustani Awam Morcha leader was Bihar's chief minister between 2014-2015. The Dalit leader was the first chief minister from the state's Musahar community. An MLA since 1980, Manjhi was elected the Lok Sabha MP from Bihar's Gaya.

Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A): Republican Party of India (A) president and Rajya Sabha member Ramdas Athawale (64) took oath a third time. In the first two Modi governments, the Dalit leader was the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment. Athawale was a Member of the Legislative Council from 1990 to 1996 and served as a minister from 1990 to 1995 during the Congress government. Dalits account for 10.5 per cent of Maharashtra's population and Athawale enjoys the support of 4.5-6 per cent of the Dalits.