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Eight new faces were inducted in the Council of Ministers on Monday, with Sisram Ola and Oscar Fernandes making a re-entry after a gap of four years.The newly-inducted ministers of state are Manikrao Gavit, Santosh Chowdhury, JD Seelam, EMS Natchiappan.The swearing in of new ministers was scheduled for 5.30 p.m. at Rashtrapati Bhawan.Here is the list of newly-inducted minister in the Cabinet:
1. Sisram Ola, 85, gets labour and employment portfolio. He was first elected to Rajasthan assembly in 1957.
2. Oscar Fernandes 72, gets road and highways ministry. He is Rajya Sabha member.
3. Girija Vyas, 66, gets housing, urban development and poverty alleviation. She is former NCW chairperson and MP from Chittorgarh.
4. KS Rao gets gets textiles ministry. He is 5-time Congress MP from Elluru in Andhra Pradesh.
5. Manikrao Gavit, 78, is ministers of state, social justice and empowerment
6. Santosh Chowdhary, Lok Sabha MP from Punjab, gets health & family welfare.
7. EMS Natchiappan, 65, MP from Tamil Nadu, gets commerce and industry ministry
8. JD Seelam becomes minister of state for finance
9. Mallikarjun Kharge becomes Railway minister. He didn't have to take oath as he was already a minister in cabinet.
"I have been given a very important responsibility," Sis Ram Ola told newspersons before searing-in ceremony.Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nirmala Sithararman termed the Cabinet expansion as a "dead reshuffle".The cabinet reshuffle came a day after the overhaul of the Congress party apparatus in which Maken and Joshi, along with Ambika Soni and Gurudas Kamat, were brought in as general secretaries, while Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Oscar Fernandes were dropped from the party posts.Ola and Fernandes were ministers in the UPA-I but did not find a place in the UPA-II government.With the new inductions, the strength of the Council of Ministers has gone up to 77.Congress party is gearing up for next year's elections with a cabinet reshuffle on Monday and party rejig on Sunday as it is boosted by a bitter split in the NDA over the elevation of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in BJP.Congress readies for a tough battle to try to win a third term in office amid a slew of graft scandals, policy malaise and the slowest economic growth in a decade.The reshuffle came a day after Congress unveiled its campaign committee, with members picked from a diverse range of areas throughout the country."It is a significant rejig as it marks a transition within the party ahead of the polls," author and political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said of the reshuffle.The government has been dogged by a string of corruption scandals which has derailed efforts to push through promised pro-market reforms, curtail inflation and revive the economy.