Modi 3.0 cabinet: Besides PM Modi, 6 ex-chief ministers in cabinet

NEW DELHI: Seven ex-CMs are part of the Modi cabinet, another rare combination set to come handy for the govt since they are seen as a value addition for governance with vast administrative experience under their belt.
Six ex-CMs - Rajnath Singh (UP), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), Manohar Lal (Haryana), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam), Jitan Ram Manjhi (Bihar) and H D Kumaraswamy (Karnataka) - have been inducted as cabinet ministers in the govt headed by Modi, who was Gujarat CM thrice before taking over as PM in 2014.
Seated next to the PM was Rajnath, CM of UP for a brief stint of two years from 2000-2002. He was Union home minister from 2014-2019 and defence minister from 2019 onwards. It is speculated that he will continue with his existing portfolio.
Popularly known as 'Mama', Chouhan was MP CM four times before he was replaced by Mohan Yadav after the state polls recently.
The first BJP CM in Haryana, Manohar Lal resigned in March in the final months of his second tenure, paving the way for party colleague Nayab Singh Saini to take over. He won the Lok Sabha polls from Karnal and his inclusion was expected.
The first BJP CM of Assam, Sonowal made way for Himanta Biswa Sarma in 2021 although the party had won the state polls under his leadership. Kumaraswamy, whose father H D Deve Gowda is an ex-PM, won from Mandya. His party's alliance with BJP is seen as a crucial factor in NDA doing better in Vokkaliga-dominated constituencies in south Karnataka.
Manjhi, president of Hindustan Awam Morcha, was Bihar's CM between 2014-2015 as a leader of JD(U) when Nitish Kumar quit the chair for national ambitions.