The highly anticipated swearing-in ceremony of the Modi 3.0 government concluded on Sunday (June 9) at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The event unveiled the names of the BJP and NDA leaders set to be part of the new Modi Cabinet. While several prominent leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and Nirmala Sitharaman, were retained, the Cabinet also welcomed several new faces, featuring a diverse mix of professionals.
Significantly, among the total 72 Council of Ministers, while many boast a decade or more of political experience, there is a notable inclusion of individuals with little to no prior political involvement, coming from entirely different professional backgrounds.
Following is the list of leaders who have transitioned from different professional backgrounds to join the Cabinet:
- Dr. S Jaishankar: Dr. S Jaishankar was first inducted into the Modi Cabinet in 2019, taking on the major portfolio of the Ministry of External Affairs. He is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and has retained his Cabinet berth in the Modi 3.0 government. Prior to his political career, Dr. Jaishankar had over three decades of diplomatic experience, having joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977. He also held significant positions in the Ministry of External Affairs, including serving as the Indian Ambassador to the US.
- Ashwini Vaishnaw: Ashwini Vaishnaw, an astute bureaucrat, was initially chosen by Modi in 2019 for major portfolios, including the Ministry of Railways and Electronics and Information Technology, raising eyebrows. Known for his efforts in railway sector reforms and the establishment of the public-private partnership model in infrastructure projects, he has been inducted into the Union Cabinet again. His transformative vision for the sectors under his charge has been widely recognized.
- Hardeep Singh Puri: Another Indian Foreign Service officer who has secured a seat in the Modi Cabinet is Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Retained in the Modi 3.0 government, Puri was previously in charge of the Ministry of Urban Development and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas from 2019-2024. Before his political stint, the 1974-batch Indian Foreign Service officer served as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in Geneva and New York, and also had postings in Tokyo and Colombo.
- Suresh Gopi: Known for his 'mass' performances in action and drama films, Gopi's nearly decade-long efforts helped him turn the BJP's long-held dream into reality by winning the central Kerala constituency of Thrissur by a thumping margin of nearly 75,000 votes. The common workers as well as the top brass of the BJP are elated by the national film award winner's poll victory from the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat.
- Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasami: Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani: Telegu Desham Party's Andhra Pradesh's Guntur candidate Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani is the richest cabinet minister in the Modi 3.0 government. He holds Rs 55,98,64,80,786 movable assets, Rs 1,06,82,46,752 immovable assets and 57,05,47,27,538 as total assets. Pemmasani is the founder and CEO of UWorld, an online learning platform. His journey began during postgraduate studies when he wrote a study guide for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) exam. He founded USMLEWorld, later rebranded as UWorld, when he was 25. Following his father's footsteps who was also a TDP leader, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani joined politics. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani also won the Ernst and Young Award as a young entrepreneur in 2020 in the US.
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