Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

13 ministers from South in Modi government, 6 from Gujarat

More than a dozen parliamentarians from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu were inducted into the council of ministers led by Modi.

13 ministers from South in Modi government, 6 from Gujarat

More than a dozen parliamentarians from southern states and six MPs from Gujarat were inducted into Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's third-term government.

More than a dozen parliamentarians from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu were inducted on Sunday into the council of ministers led by Modi. This move rewards the BJP's coalition partners in the southern states.


Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi, who were part of the previous cabinet, took oath at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Union minister of state in the previous Modi government, Shobha Karandlaje, and former minister in the state government V Somanna -- both from BJP -- were also sworn in. Sitharaman, Kumaraswamy, and Joshi were given Cabinet rank, while Karandlaje and Somanna were made ministers of state. Kumaraswamy, who has been given a minister post from NDA partner JD(S)' quota, is from the dominant Vokkaliga community.

The NDA secured 19 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, with BJP winning 17 and JD(S) 2. The ruling Congress in the state won nine seats. Two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs -- K Rammohan Naidu and Chandrasekhar Pemmasani -- along with BJP's Srinivasa Varma were inducted from Andhra Pradesh. Pemmasani is the richest minister in the 18th Lok Sabha.

From Kerala, Suresh Gopi, the lone BJP Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) MP in the state, and senior party leader George Kurian became ministers for the first time. Kurian's inclusion, despite not being an MP, is seen as the BJP's attempt to reach out to the Christian community. BJP leaders from Telangana -- Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar -- were also included in the Modi 3.0 government. From Tamil Nadu, L Murugan was included as minister of state in the new government.

Gujarat's representation drops to 6

The number of Gujarat MPs in Modi's third government has decreased to six compared to seven in the second term. Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, and S Jaishankar were sworn in as cabinet ministers for the second consecutive time on Sunday.

The new entrants from Gujarat are state BJP chief and Navsari MP CR Paatil, party president and Rajya Sabha member JP Nadda, and Bhavnagar MP Nimuben Bambhaniya. Shah and Mandaviya are Lok Sabha members, while Jaishankar is a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat.

Rajkot MP Parshottam Rupala, a minister in the previous government, has been dropped this time. He was involved in a controversy over a remark that angered the Khastriya/Rajput community during the Lok Sabha poll campaign. Rupala, a three-term Rajya Sabha member, served as a minister in both previous Modi governments. He was the union minister of state for agriculture, farmers' welfare, and panchayati raj between 2016 and 2021. From July 2021, he was Union minister of fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying.

Devusinh Chauhan, MP from Kheda, was also dropped this time. He had previously served as the Union MoS for communication. Mahendra Munjpara, who served as the MoS for women and child development in the previous government, was not given a ticket by the party to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Darshana Jardosh, who was the MoS for railways and textiles in the second Modi government, did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

(PTI)

More For You

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less