Telugu Desam Party (TDP) luminary Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani clinched victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur constituency and joined the Modi 3.0 administration. Pemmasani, a 48-year-old doctor, made his poll debut in this year's general elections and declared a family asset of over ₹5,700 crore. This was the highest assets among all 8,390 candidates who contested elections.
With this, he has become the wealthiest MP to be inducted in the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took oath for the third time on June 9. As a key figure in Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, an integral part of the ruling NDA, Pemmasani won the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 by defeating YSRCP's Kilari Venkata Rosaiah by a staggering margin of over 3.4 lakh votes.
Sworn in as a Minister of State, his journey reflects a blend of medical expertise, business acumen, and political savvy. Throughout the TDP's ups and downs, he remained a loyal member, earning the trust and favour of party chief N Chandrababu Naidu. His unwavering support has now culminated in his appointment to the Union Cabinet.
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, among the Cabinet-ranked ministers, holds the highest assets valued at ₹484 crore. This places him sixth in terms of asset wealth among all victorious Lok Sabha MPs. Among the top 10 wealthiest winners in the Lok Sabha elections, only Pemmasani and Scindia were appointed as ministers.
Born in Burripalem village, Guntur, Pemmasani's journey from a medical professional, with a degree from Osmania University and work experience at prestigious institutions like Johns Hopkins University-Sinai Hospital, to a political heavyweight is noteworthy. His entrepreneurial endeavours, including founding UWorld (an online learning and study resources platform) and the Pemmasani Foundation.
Replacing two-term MP Jay Galla in Guntur, Pemmasani's ascent to power represents a generational shift in Andhra Pradesh's political landscape.
PM Narendra Modi on June 9 took oath along with 71 ministers forming the new coalition government. Among them, 30 hold Cabinet Minister positions, five have independent charges, and 36 are Ministers of State. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to PM Modi, followed by Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah. Nitin Gadkari was the fourth to take the oath of office from the President. Subsequently, leaders like JP Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, and Manohar Lal Khattar also took their oaths.
HD Kumaraswamy from the Janata Dal (Secular) was the first leader from any of the BJP's NDA allies to be sworn in, following Khattar. Soon after, Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh, a close associate of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also took the oath.
Sarbananda Sonowal became the first leader from the northeast to be sworn in today, with Kiren Rijiju following suit. Virendra Kumar, a prominent figure representing Scheduled Castes in the BJP and an eight-time MP, was also inducted into the Narendra Modi government after winning from Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh reserved seat.
Furthermore, Chirag Paswan, chief of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has cemented his position as the true political successor of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, after his inclusion in the Narendra Modi government, marking a significant return in Bihar's dynamic political arena.
