BJP HOLDS ON TO CORE PORTFOLIOS

Scindia is the only minister to have lost as Civil Aviation goes to TDP’s Kinjarapu

- GAURAV VIVEK

Almost all the senior BJP ministers of the Modi 2.0 dispensation have retained their portfolios in the new BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government which was sworn in under Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

A total of 71 ministers had taken oath apart from Modi and of these 30 were Cabinet ministers, five were Ministers of State with independent charge and 36 were MoS. Among the Cabinet ministers, 25 are from the BJP and five from its ally parties in the National Democratic Alliance. The allies have also been given six other ministerial berths.

The Prime Minister has retained his control over the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space.

A message of continuity

In a clear message that the policies and plans of the previous Modi 2.0 government would by and large continue, 12 senior ministers from the BJP have retained their main portfolios. So, Amit Shah has retained Home and Cooperation; Rajnath Singh has been given Defence; Nitin Gadkari gets to keep Road Transport and Highways, Nirmala Sitharaman keeps her Finance portfolio and S. Jaishankar will remain the Minister for External Affairs.

(Gadkari has also been gifted two juniors -- Ajay Tamta and Harsh Malhotra – who will work under him).