16 months after joining BJP, the former Congress stalwart Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday took oath as minister in the Modi government 2.0. Scindia is among 43 leaders who are being inducted into the Modi government as part of cabinet expansion and reshuffle.
In March 2020, 22 MLAs of Congress led by Scindia resigned from the party and crossed over to the BJP, leading to the collapse of the then Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh, which paved the way for the BJP to return to power again.
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Leaving the Congress party in 2020, Jyotiraditya Scindia alleged that the "atmosphere of corruption" prevailed in Madhya Pradesh during the Congress' 15-month rule.
"The people of Madhya Pradesh are very much aware that during the 15-month rule of the Congress government, an atmosphere of corruption prevailed. Promises made to the people were not fulfilled," Scindia had said.
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It was Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, member of the former royal family of Baroda, who apparently became the bridge between the top BJP leadership and Jyotiraditya Scindia in the run-up to his exit from the Congress. Jyotiraditya's wife Priyadarshni belongs to the Gaekwad royal family.
Jyotiraditya Scindia is related to the Scindia family that once ruled in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. He is a member of Parliament and represents the Guna constituency. A leader of the Congress party earlier, he was a Minister of State (independent charge) for Power in the cabinet of prime minister Manmohan Singh.
In February 2002 from Guna District, Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha. In May 2004, he was re-elected. In 2007, he was introduced to the Union Council of Ministers as Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology. In 2009, he was re-elected for a third consecutive term and became MoS for Commerce and Industry.
Scindia was born on January 1, 1971, in Bombay. In 1993, he graduated in Economics from Harvard University and in 2001, Scindia received an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
He is a grandson of Jivajirao Scindia, the last Maharaja of the princely state of Gwalior.
Among other probables who may be inducted as new ministers in the Modi govt 2.0 include former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, senior BJP organisational heavyweights party general secretary, Bhupender Yadav from Rajasthan and Kailash Vijayvargiya, from Madhya Pradesh, who was in charge of the BJP campaign in West Bengal. BJP spokesperson and minority face Syed Zafar Islam is also tipped for a central government role.
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