As Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister approaches, notable BJP leaders Smriti Irani and Anurag Thakur were absent from the finalized Cabinet lineup.
Most senior party leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Mansukh Mandaviya, attended a tea meeting with Modi, a tradition he has upheld before Cabinet formation since 2014. “All MPs who will take the oath of office along with Narendra Modi have been invited to Modi’s residence for tea at 11:30 am,” according to BJP sources.
However, it was noted that Smriti Irani and Anurag Singh Thakur were not invited to this tea party. “Both Smriti Irani and Anurag Singh Thakur were not present at the NDA meeting. Irani lost, but Thakur won from Hamirpur. This is the first cabinet swearing-in, though. We will have more ministers inducted in the Modi 3.0,” said BJP sources.
Irani’s loss in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, particularly in the Amethi constituency, was significant. After defeating Rahul Gandhi in 2019 by a margin of over 55,000 votes, she lost to Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma by 1,67,196 votes. In contrast, Anurag Thakur secured his fifth consecutive term in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur