More veterans got ministerial berths than young faces

Bringing in five ministers aged below 50, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to give more space to youth in his council of ministers even though he has relied more on experience in the current expansion, with 10 new ministers above 60.

At 35 years, April 1981 born Anupriya Patel, who comes from electorally crucial Uttar Pradesh, is the youngest face to be inducted in the Modi government on Tuesday. Patel’s party Apna Dal is a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in UP which goes to polls in 2017.

Almora MP Ajay Tamta, 43, who was born on July 16, 1972 is a young face from Uttarakhand, which, like UP, is also going to polls next year.

Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, is another young leader who has become a Union minister at just 44. Gujarat too is going to polls next year.

49-year-old Krishna Raj is BJP MP from Shahjahanpur, while Jaswantsinh Bhabhor who represents Dahod in Gujarat, being born on 22 Aug 1966, turns 50 next month.

BJP MP from Mandla in Madhya Pradesh Faggan Singh Kulaste who was born on 18 May 1959, at 57 is another senior leader. At 58, Mahendra Nath Pandey is another BJP leader from UP who joins the Union council of ministers from the crucial northern state.

Republican Party of India-Athawale leader from Maharashtra Ramdas Athawale is 56-year-old.

Born on 6 July 1956, Anil Madhav Dave, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP representing Madhya Pradesh, got an advance birthday present as he joined the council of ministers, just a day before he turns 60.

However, there are many others who are above 60 and bring a wealth of experience with them.

65 year-old M J Akbar is a veteran journalist. Former Union minister Vijay Goel at 62 has again become a part of the Council of Ministers. Goel represents Rajasthan in Rajya Sabha, and a key BJP leader in Delhi.

Another veteran who has now become a minister is 61-year-old Arjun Ram Meghwal. The Bikaner MP was the party’s chief whip in the current Lok Sabha.

64-year-old Ramesh C Jigaginag, who represents the Bijapur constituency of Karnataka has also been included in the council of ministers. Veteran BJP leader S S Ahluwalia, 65, is another leader who brings in vast experience of public life with him.(MORE) PTI ADS RCJ RG

P P Chaudhary, who celebrates his birthday in a week being born on July 12, 1953, is the sitting MP from Pali, Rajsthan. 68-year-old C R Chaudhary represents Nagaur in Rajasthan, 61-year-old Gujarat veteran and Rajya Sabha MP Parshottam Rupala, S R Bhamre who is MP from Dhule in Maharashtra are among others above the age of 60.

Another senior 65-year-old Rajen Gohain, is a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, where the BJP scored a crucial electoral victory in the recent assembly polls.

IMAGE: President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the newly inducted ministers after a swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: PIB India