Modi’s Cabinet 3.0: Notable BJP Heavyweights Dropped in Ministerial Reshuffle

Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s unveiling of Cabinet 3.0 brought significant changes as notable BJP figures were omitted from the ministerial lineup. Among those dropped were Smriti Irani, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Anurag Singh Thakur. The reshuffle saw the induction of 72 ministers, showcasing the retention of veteran leaders like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Nitin Gadkari, and Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Smriti Irani, who held positions in Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, faced electoral defeat in Amethi to KL Sharma of Congress. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who vied for Thiruvananthapuram against Shahi Tharoor, and Anurag Singh Thakur, a five-time MP from Hamirpur, were also left out of the Cabinet.

Arjun Munda, serving in Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Tribal Affairs, had to pass on his role as Agriculture Minister to Narendra Singh Tomar following his loss in Khunti to Kali Charan Munda from Congress. Furthermore, Nisith Pramanik and Ajay Mishra Teni, who faced electoral setbacks, were also part of the list of exclusions.

In a surprising twist, Meenakshi Lekhi and Gen VK Singh, previously part of Modi 2.0, were not granted tickets this time, further underlining the changes in the new Cabinet lineup. The absence of Bharti Pawar, Ashwini Choubey, Bhagwat Karad, and others denotes the strategic shift in Modi’s ministerial appointments.