Southern representation in Modi 3.0 govt: 12 ministers take oath

Bengaluru/ Hyderabad: 12 Parliamentarians from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Tamil Nadu were inducted in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is being seen as recognizing all the regional parties and rewarding them. The Southern States play an important role as the focus of the erstwhile Modi government during the election campaign was concentrated towards South India.

Karnataka JD (S)

JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi, who were part of the previous Cabinet, took path at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Union Minister of State in the previous Modi government, Shobha Karandlaje, and former minister in the state government V Somanna -- both from BJP -- were also sworn in. While Sitharaman, Kumaraswamy and Joshi were given Cabinet rank, Karandlaje and Somanna were made Ministers of State.

The NDA got 19 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, with BJP winning 17 and JD(S) in 2. The ruling Congress in the state has won nine seats.

H D Kumaraswamy: 64-year-old Vokkaliga leader has made no secret of his desire to become agriculture minister. Son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has now managed to secure a cabinet berth by allying with the BJP, at a time when his party was fighting the "battle for survival".

Andhra Pradesh TDP MPs

Two TDP MPs -- K Rammohan Naidu and Chandrasekhar Pemmasani -- along with BJP's Srinivasa Varma were inducted from Andhra Pradesh.

Srikakulam MP K Ram Mohan Naidu noted that in the next five years, the focus will be on fulfilling the assurances and the promises given in the manifesto. "These five years we will fulfil the assurances and manifesto promises and work towards developing our state. We should lead Andhra Pradesh and turn it into the best state in India and that is our goal," he said in a video post on 'X'.

Chandrashekar Pemmasani with an asset of Rs 5700 crore is the richest minister to join the council of ministers in the 18th Lok Sabha.

Kerala lone BJP MP

From Kerala, Suresh Gopi, the lone BJP Lok Sabha MP in the state, and senior party leader George Kurian became ministers for the first time. Kurian's inclusion despite not being an MP is seen as the BJP's attempt to reach out to the Christian community.

Telangana gets two ministers

BJP leaders from Telangana -- Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar -- were also included in the Modi 3.0 government.

Bandi Sanjay Kumar - The foundation for the political rise of Kumar could be traced to his days of student politics in the Akhil Bhaaratiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, with which he was associated since his childhood.

With his grooming in the Right wing outfits providing him a clear ideological launchpad and direction, he gradually became popular as an aggressive Saffron leader. Kumar's 'take the bull by the horns' style, ensured victory in a considerable number of seats in the Hyderabad civic polls during the previous BRS regime, which gave a clear signal that the saffron party can be an alternative to the then ruling party.

BJP national general secretary, Kumar retained the Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana with a massive margin of over 2.25 lakh votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.

G Kishan Reddy - The 64-year old leader retained the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency with a margin of over 49,000 votes in the recent Lok Sabha polls, defeating his nearest Congress rival Danam Nagender. Born to middle class farmer-parents in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana near Hyderabad, he started his political career as an ordinary worker in 1977. He has held important party positions including the president of the BJP's state unit and national president of BJP's Yuva Morcha (BJYM).

As union minister, he has held the portfolios of home, tourism, culture and development of Northeast region and he was a three-time MLA. Affectionately called 'Kishan Anna' by party workers and leaders, he started his political journey with the Janata Party. He joined the BJP on its inception in the year 1980 and grew in the party gradually handling one key responsibility after the other.

Inclusion of Tamil Nadu

From Tamil Nadu, L Murugan was included as Minister of State in the new government. Murugan is the former president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. He is the Dalit face of the BJP in the South state where the BJP polled 11.34 percent votes.

(inputs from PTI)