Rathore, Swaraj, Nadda: Conspicuously missing from Modi's cabinet

New Delhi, May 30: Many cabinet ministers from the previous cabinet were made part of the new government, but some promiment names like Rajyavardhan Rathore, Sushma Swaraj, Jayant Sinha, Anupriya Patel and Anantkumar Hegde, were among those who missed the bus.

J P Nadda who was the health minister in previous Modi government also did not take oath today. It is being said that Nadda may take over as the BJP president after Amit Shah was inducted into the cabinet. Swaraj did not contest the elections citing health reasons, and about her being part of the cabinet, it is being said that the party had left the decision to her.

Swaraj today thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her an opportunity to serve people of India as External Affairs Minister. Taking to Twitter over an hour after the swearing-in ceremony ended, Swaraj prayed that the Modi government in its second term functions with glory. "Prime Minister-ji -- as External Affairs Minister, you have given me opportunity in the last five years to serve the countrymen and Indians abroad and accorded me a lot of respect at personal level. I am grateful to you. I pray to God that our government functions gloriously," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Despite winning their seats, eight-time MP Maneka Gandhi, six-time MP Radhamohan Singh, Mahesh Sharma, Jayant Sinha, Anupriya Patel, Jual Oram, Ram Kripal Yadav and Rathore lost their ministerial berths.

There were many from Modi's previous Cabinet who either did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections or suffered defeat. Swaraj had opted out of fighting the polls due to health reasons. Others who decided not to contest were Suresh Prabhu, who held the civil aviation portfolio, Uma Bharati, the minister of drinking water and sanitation and Birender Singh, who was minister of steel. Manoj Sinha, the minister of state for railways, Alphons Kannanthanam, the minister of tourism with independent charge, and Hansraj Ahir, the minister of state for home, were among those who tasted defeat in the elections.

Former bureaucrat and minister of state for urban affairs (independent charge) Hardeep Singh Puri, however, retained his berth despite losing his seat. Vijay Sampla, who was the minister of state, social justice and empowerment, was dropped. He had been denied a ticket by the BJP after it accused the party of "cow slaughter".

Known for his controversial statements, Anantkumar Hegde, who held the skill development portfolio, has also been dropped. Arun Jaitley, who was the finance minister, had opted out of being in the government for health reasons.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs