Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted four cabinet berths and one minister of state from Gujarat in his new government on Sunday.
Gujarat
1. Amit Shah
Rank: Cabinet
Portfolio:
Born on October 22, 1964, Amit Shah was the 31st Home Minister of India since 2019 and the first Minister of Cooperation since 2021.
In 2024, Shah won the Lok Sabha elections 2024 from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar seat with a margin of over 7.4 lakh votes against opponent Congress candidate Sonal Patel.
He was the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2020 and has been the chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 2014. Shah was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, from Gandhinagar in the 2019 general elections. Prior to that, he served as a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat from 2017 to 2019.
A key strategist for the BJP and a close ally of Narendra Modi, Shah was also a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, representing Naranpura from 2012 to 2017 and Sarkhej from 1997 to 2012. In Modi’s ministry, he held various portfolios from 2002 to 2012, including Minister of State for Home, Law and Justice, Prison, Border Security, Civil Defence, Excise, Home Guards, Transport, Prohibition, Gram Rakshak Dal, Police Housing, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Shah was in charge of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most significant state politically. The BJP-led NDA secured 73 out of 80 seats, boosting Shah’s profile, leading to his appointment as the BJP’s national president in July 2014. In the initial years, he has played a pivotal role in election campaigns across various states, securing victories in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Assam. However, the BJP faced setbacks in Delhi and Bihar in 2015.
In 2017, Shah was credited with BJP’s victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Manipur, although the alliance with Akali Dal lost in Punjab. In 2018, the BJP lost power in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Under Shah’s leadership the following year, the BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 general elections, securing a majority.
2. S Jaishankar
Rank: Cabinet
Portfolio:
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, born on January 9, 1955, is a former Indian diplomat and politician served as the Minister of External Affairs for the Government of India since 30 May, 2019. Affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he has been a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 5 July, 2019. Jaishankar’s distinguished career includes a tenure as foreign secretary from January 2015 to January 2018, making him the second diplomat ever to hold the position of External Affairs Minister after Natwar Singh.
Jaishankar entered the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1977. Over a career that spanned 38 years, he held numerous significant positions both in India and internationally. His roles included serving as High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009) and Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–2004), China (2009–2013), and the United States (2014–2015). He was instrumental in the negotiations leading to the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.
After retiring from the IFS, Jaishankar took on the role of President of Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Sons. His contributions to public service were recognised in 2019 when he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award. Subsequently, he was appointed as a cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term, officially taking office as the Minister of External Affairs on 31 May, 2019. Notably, Jaishankar is the first former foreign secretary to serve as the head of the Ministry of External Affairs.
3. Mansukh Mandaviya
Rank: Cabinet
Portfolio:
Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya, born on June 1, 1972, held the dual portfolios of Minister of Health and Family Welfare and the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India. Additionally, he represents Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha.
Hailing from the quaint village of Hanol in the Palitana Taluka of Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, Mandaviya grew up in a middle-class farming family as the youngest of four brothers. His early education began at the Government Primary School in Hanol, followed by his secondary education at Songadh Gurukul.
Mandaviya pursued further studies in the field of veterinary science, obtaining a certificate in Veterinary Live Stock Inspector after his Higher Secondary Certificate. He continued his academic journey at Songadh Gurukul and Gujarat Agriculture University, where he also earned a Master’s degree in Political Science from Bhavnagar University. In 2021, he advanced his academic credentials by earning a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Gujarat Institute of Development Research.
4. CR Patil
Rank: Cabinet
Portfolio:
Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, commonly known as C. R. Patil, is a three-time Member of Parliament representing Navsari in Gujarat. This year Patil won from the Navsari constituency with a margin of 7,73,551 votes. He secured a total of 10,31,065 votes. He has been the President of the BJP Gujarat State unit since 2020 making him the first non-Gujarati to hold this prestigious position.
Born on March 16, 1955, in Pimpry Akaraut village in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, Patil completed his technical training at ITI in Surat following his schooling. Patil’s career in law enforcement began in 1975 when he joined the Gujarat Police as a constable, serving for 14 years. His political journey started with the BJP in 1989, and in 1991, he began his tenure at the Gujarati daily ‘Navgujarat Times’ before fully immersing himself in politics. Patil is proficient in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, and English.
Patil’s electoral records are notable, with his 2014 victory marked by the third-highest margin in Lok Sabha history at 558,116 votes, and his 2019 win with a staggering margin of 689,668 votes, the second-largest in electoral history. His political acumen led the BJP to a historic seventh consecutive victory in Gujarat in 2022, securing 156 out of 182 seats, the highest ever for any party in the state’s history. This feat, however, was short of his bold promise to resign if the BJP won fewer than 182 seats.
In 2013, Patil made history as the first Indian MP to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification for quality management in the monitoring and administration of government services for his constituency, inspired by the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office, which received the certification in 2009.
5. Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya
Rank: Minister of State
Portfolio:
Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya is a BJP Member of Parliament representing the Bhavnagar Lok Sabha constituency. She won the 2024 general elections by defeating Umeshbhai Makwana of the Aam Aadmi Party with a margin of 455,289 votes.
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Modi 3.0: From Amit Shah to Nimuben Bambhaniya, here are the four ministers from Gujarat
