Modi Cabinet: Caste, poll factors in mind in upgrade, induction

His induction in the Cabinet is significant in the backdrop of JD(U)’s decision against joining the government.

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Shekhawat, who held several posts in RSS before contesting his first Lok Sabha polls from Jodhpur in 2014, was once tipped to become the party’s Rajasthan unit chief but the leadership decided against it in the face of opposition from then CM Vasundhara Raje.

Another promotion is that of former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, whose ranking in the order of protocol has improved from 24 to 5. In 2014, Smriti Irani had taken oath as Cabinet minister before Sitharaman. This time, Irani, despite causing the biggest upset of the election by defeating Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, took oath as the 14th minister.

Ministers of state (MoS) from the previous government who have been promoted as MoS with independent charge are Rao Inderjeet Singh, Kiren Rijiju and Mansukhlal Mandaviya.

Rao Inderjeet, an Ahir from Haryana representing Gurgaon, was MoS for Chemical and Fertiliser. Belonging to a dominant backward caste, he fits the BJP’s politics of greater non-Jat representation in Haryana politics. Modi has also inducted Dalit leader from the state, Ratan Lal Kataria, as MoS. Haryana goes to the Assembly polls in the next few months.

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Kiren Rijiju, the face of BJP in the Northeast, has been promoted in keeping with the party’s continued focus on the region.

Among new faces, Maharashtra has the maximum score — three — followed by Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with two each. Maharashtra will go to the polls this year.

Among the new junior ministers are Pratap Sarangi, economically the poorest candidate in these elections. The Balasore MP (Odisha) is known for his simplicity and humble background. His photograph — packing his bags in his bamboo hut a with thatched roof – after winning the elections had gone viral.

Nityanand Rai, a Yadav from Bihar, and Debasree Chaudhary from West Bengal are also notable inductions. The BJP is trying to expand its social base in Bihar and is looking to wrest West Bengal from Mamata Banerjee in the next Assembly elections.

There are representations from Telangana (G Kishan Reddy), where BJP has won four seats for the first time, and Kerala (V Muraleedharan), a state where rthe BJP has fought pitched battles with the Left and aims to improve its show in future.