Sushma Swaraj and Suresh Prabhu lead the list of high-profile ministers in the previous Narendra Modi Government who have not found a place in the cabinet this time.

The others include Maneka Gandhi, Radha Mohan Singh, Jayant Sinha and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

The decision to drop Prabhu would have come as a surprise to many as he not only had the important portfolio of Commerce & Industry in the previous government but was also given Civil Aviation as an additional charge in 2018.

Prabhu’s inability to appease the Donald Trump regime in the US which has been threatening India with unfavourable trade action and the lack of resolution of important trade pacts such as the RCEP with China and the ASEAN could have contributed to his falling out of favour.

Health grounds

Swaraj, who held the External Affairs portfolio during 2014-19, did not contest the 2019 elections on health grounds, but had clearly said that she was not retiring from politics. However, on the day of the swearing-in Swaraj said that she had opted out, which could be seen as a way for graceful exit.

Radha Mohan Singh could have lost the PM’s confidence as farmers’ unrest reached its peak with him at the helm.

The fact that Jayant Sinha had fallen out of favour with Modi and his aides was clear when he was removed as the Minister of State for Finance and made the Minister of State for Civil Aviation in 2016.

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