Forty-three ministers on Wednesday took oath as PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet witnessed a major reshuffle. Thirty-five new faces joined the cabinet as seven ministers received promotions. The swearing ceremony was held in the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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Earlier, twelve ministers including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar resigned from the cabinet.

Former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju was promoted and made the Minister of Law and Justice. It was BJP MP Anurag Thakur who, who succeeded Rijju as the Sports Minister. 

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Thakur, an MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur was handed two portfolios – Information and Broadcasting, and Sports. The 46-year-old previously served as the Minister of State for Finance

Thakur is the son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The four-time MP was first elected to the Lok Sabha in May 2008 in a by-poll. He has been a part of the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Lok Sabhas. 

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Anurag Thakur also served as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from May 2015 to February 2017. He was fired after the Supreme Court ordered him to cease and desist works within BCCI. 

Thakur was awarded the Sansad Ratna Award in 2019, an award established in 2010 by private organisations for recognizing contributions by parliamentarians. He became the first serving Member of Parliament from the BJP to become a regular commissioned officer in the Territorial Army.

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