Who is Mansukh Mandaviya, the new Union Sports Minister in PM Modi's cabinet?

A day after Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Narendra Modi took oath as the prime minister of India alongside his cabinet, the portfolio allocation was announced late on Monday (Jun 10). Amid the reshuffling of the pack,Mansukh Mandaviya has been appointed the new minister of sports and youth affairs.

Mandaviya will be replacing outgoing Anurag Thakur in the new cabinet under PM Modi. Apart from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Mansukh Mandaviya has also been assigned the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Mandaviya takes over the reins of the crucial ministry, just weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics where hopes are high from the Indian athletes to come back with a rich medal haul.

The leader from Gujarat managed to enter Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament after defeating Congress' Lalit Vasoya by 383,000 votes from thePorbandar Lok Sabha seat.

Mandaviya has the previous experience of serving in the cabinet which prompted PM Modi to allocate him the sports ministry.

He served as the Health Minister in the pervious cabinet and oversaw the implementation of Covid-19 vaccine programme after taking charge in 2021.

Mandaviya was also the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers of India in the previous cabinet.

Apart from Mandaviya,Raksha Nikhil Khadse, who won from the Raver constituency in Maharashtra, has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

'Not Modi alone'

Hours before the portfolio announcement, PM Modi, in his first address to the officials of the Prime MinisterOffice (PMO) said the government did not operate solely because of him.

"When it comes to the Government, it is not just Modi alone, thousands of minds that are connected to him, thousands of brains that are working on this, thousands of arms that are working on this - as a result of this grand form, even the common man gets to meet its capabilities," said PM Modi.

While most exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the results humbled the ruling party.

Despite the results, BJP has formed a coalition government with over a dozen alliance partners as Modi took oath for a third consecutive term as the PM of the country.

(With inputs from agencies)