After victory in the outgoing general election, in the newly formed Modi cabinet, however, four erstwhile bureaucrats seem to be lucky among all the wining MPs of the National Democratic Alliance. Former urban development minister and Indian Foreign Service officer Hardeep Puri is the biggest gainer in the Modi cabinet even after her lost the general election from Amritsar seat in Punjab, while S Jaishankar became an unexpected face in Modi Cabinet 2.0 as foreign affairs minister.

The BJP gambled with more than half a dozen ex-bureaucrats in the outgoing election and eventually almost all bureaucrats won the power battle.

PM Modi picked two bureaucrats from Punjab. Former IAS from Punjab cadre Som Prakash got the commerce and industries state minister portfolio while Puri was inducted as minister of state (housing and urban affairs) in the Cabinet. Som Prakash won from Hoshiarpur seat and defeated Congress candidate. The former bureaucrat had contested the 2012 Assembly polls from the Phagwara seat on a BJP ticket and won. Som Prakash was also re-elected from the seat in the 2017 assembly election. However, Hardeep Puri lost the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar seat. Puri is a 1974-batch IFS officer.

He fought the election for the first time and was given charge of the urban development ministry in previous Cabinet expansion. Puri did very well and implemented PM Modi’s dream project to provide houses to all citizens by 2022. This time too he secured reign over the same ministry to fulfil Modi government’s manifesto.

Raj Kumar Singh who contested the election for a second time from his stronghold land Arrah seat on a BJP ticket, won for the second time consecutively after he defeated his UPA alliance rival. This time RK Singh also got the position of minister of state (independent) in the Modi Cabinet.

The face that has surprised all leaders in the alliance is former foreign secretary S Jaishankar as Cabinet minister. S Jaishankar is vested with more responsibility as external affairs minister to implement Modi government’s foreign policy, especially in America and China. 

Satya Pal Singh former HRD minister and IPS officer, won once again from Baghpat seat, the Jat land of Uttar Pradesh. But this time Modi did not entrust Singh with any responsibilities in his Cabinet. In the 2014 general election Singh defeated Jat leader and RLD chief, Ajit Singh. When PM Modi expanded his Cabinet during his first term, Singh had the honour of being included in it.  Modi had given him charge as minister of state. However, this time he failed to get a berth in Modi cabinet. Aparajita Sarangi also missed the bus in the Modi Cabinet. She won in Bhubaneshwar when she defeated BJD candidate Arup Patnaik.