Modi Cabinet 2.0: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat appointed to head the new Ministry of Jal Shakti in the Modi Government 2.0

Narendra Modi has taken the oath-of-office as the Prime Minister of the country for the second time, at the grand swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday in which a number of other NDA leaders also took oath as ministers. Among the most watched was Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who defeated Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot from the high-stakes Jodhpur seat. On May 30, as Former Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and BJP MP took the oath for Cabinet Minister.

On May 31, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was appointed as Minister of Jal Shakti. This is a new ministry under Modi government. Along with him, Rattan Lal Kataria has been appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti. 

आदरणीय श्री @gssjodhpur ने केंद्रीय मंत्री के रूप में शपथ ग्रहण की। pic.twitter.com/h6OmsJzf3v

— BJP Rajasthan (@BJP4Rajasthan)

 

After the allocation of the portfolio, he spoke to Republic TV and said: "Prime Minister Modi has always emphasized on the importance of clean water. This position is important for me because I will be able to do work for my region in Rajasthan where water is a major problem. But most importantly, water is an issue in the entire country now."

All you need to know about him:

• Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Jodhpur in 2014 and was made the minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare in September 2017. 
   
• The BJP leader was appointed as the convener of the election committee for the assembly election in the state, which the BJP lost. 
   
• In the Lok Sabha elections 2019, the 51-year-old had defeated Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot in Jodhpur by over 2.7 lakh votes. Ashok Gehlot had represented the constituency five times since 1980.
   
• "It is an election between the CM's son and a common man's son," Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had told during the election campaign.
   
• As an MP, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat contributed to the development of the civil airport of Jodhpur city, which is also known as the 'blue city', and expansion of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
   
• Known for his oratory skills and popular in his constituency, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is often fondly referred to as "Gajju banna".
   
• It is also well known that the two-time MP has strained relations with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. He was once in the running for the post of the BJP's state president. But, amid strong opposition from Vasundhara Raje, he lost out to Madan Lal Saini.
   
• Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made his debut in politics as the president of the Jai Narain Vyas University student union in 1992. He remained closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the region, especially in the border areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer. However, Raje took to Twitter to congratulate him for selection in the Cabinet.