Narendra Modi has announced his team members' assignments on Friday with a bit of surprise though he stuck to almost what it was in his previous government. BJP president Amit Shah's entry appears to have tilted the balance as Rajnath had to move to Defence while Nitin Gadkari or any other leader could not enter the Cabinet Council of Security.
Piyush Goyal -- Did not get Finance though he had stepped in when Arun Jaitley had gone on leave. This time, he was speculated to handle the North Block office of Ministry of Finance. Though he is considered close to both Modi and Shah, the Prime Minister chose Nirmala Sitharaman to succeed Jaitley while Goyal got Commerce and Industry in addition to Railways.
Smriti Irani -- The giant killer of Amethi was speculated to get plum postings but in this edition of portfolio allocation, the TV actress-turned-politician has not got any prominent portfolio. She continues to be the Textiles Minister and has given a new assignment in the Women and Child Development Ministry.
Prakash Javadekar -- Loses HRD Ministry to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' while he has got back Environment Ministry and Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Hardeep Puri -- A Rajya Sabha MP, the former diplomat lost the Lok Sabha elections this time from Amritsar but Modi chose to retain him in his team and gave additional responsibilities compared to his stint in the previous government. Puri will handle the Civil Aviation Ministry, which Suresh Prabhu and his deputy Jayant Sinha handled in the previous government. He also will continue to handle Housing and Urban Affairs while will assist Goyal in Commerce Ministry.
Gen V K Singh -- The former Army chief, a Minister of State who is a two-term MP, has lost his seat in External Affairs Ministry. In the previous government, he travelled several countries on assignments and earned laurels when he led the evacuation of Indians in strife-torn Yemen and South Sudan. The new External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had reported to Singh when the former was Foreign Secretary. He will now assist Nitin Gadkari in Road Transport Ministry.
Anurag Thakur -- The former BCCI president was speculated to join Modi team whenever there was a reshuffle in the previous government but he never made it. This time, however, the son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal this time made it. He will assist Nirmala Sitharaman in handling the Ministries of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
V Muraleedharan -- Gen V K Singh's loss was Muraleedharan's gain. A senior BJP leader from Kerala, who represents Maharashtra in Rajya Sabha, he will handle the External Affairs Ministry under S Jaishankar. He will also assist Pralhad Joshi in Parliamentary Affairs. As a Rajya Sabha member, he will be handling the Upper House alone when in session.