All the Prime Minister's men...and a few women Know your ministers

Pranab Mukherjee

MP from Jangipur in W Bengal

Background: Took to politics under the tutelage of the late Ajoy Mukherjee of the Bangla Congress.

Political journey: Became Rajya Sabha member in 1969. Elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004.
Power and post: Has been a minister in all the party governments since the mid-1970s except the Rajiv Gandhi government between 1984 and 1989. After his reported tiff with Rajiv Gandhi, Mukherjee left the Congress and started his own party — Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress — only to merge it with the parent party again in the last years of the former prime minister.

Mamata Banerjee

MP from Kolkata South 

Background: A former teacher, Mamata forayed into politics when she joined West Bengal Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of the Congress in 1970s. Left the Congress  and floated Trinamool Congress in 1998. 

Political journey: Elected to the LS in 1984. Subsequently elected to the LS in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1998, 1999 and 2004 from S Kolkata.

Power and post: Union minister of state for HRD, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Women and Child Development in the Narasimha Rao government.

Railway portfolio in the Cabinet of Atal Behari Vajpayee in October 2001. Resigned 17 months later.

P Chidambaram

MP from Sivaganga in TN

Background: An MBA from Harvard, he practised as an advocate in the Madras HC and later in the SC and was an adviser to several MNCs.

Political journey: He was first elected to the LS in 1984 from Sivaganga. Since then, he had been re-elected from the same constituency except 1999. Left the Congress with G K Moopanar to launch TMC in 1996. Parted ways with Moopanar in 2001 and floated his own outfit Congress Jananayaga Peravai.

Power and post: Finance Minister in 1996 under H D Deve Gowda. Finance Minister in UPA government from 2004-08; was given Home portfolio after the Mumbai attacks.

Anand Sharma

RS member from HP

Background: A lawyer by profession, he has been the member of the RS on four earlier occasions.

Political journey: A prominent student and youth leader, he was one of the founders of the Congress’ student wing NSUI. Sharma first came into limelight during the Rajiv Gandhi days as chief of the Indian Youth Congress. He has considerable experience in representing the Congress and India at diplomatic interactions at all levels.

Power and post:  Minister of State for External Affairs in the UPA government 2006. Sharma was given additional charge of Minister of State for I&B after P R Dasmunsi fell ill.

Jaipal Reddy

MP from Chevella in AP

Background: A postgraduate in English.

Political journey: Reddy was president of the Osmania University Students Union in Hyderabad twice and subsequently became a general secretary of the APCC. He was a MLA from 1969 to 1984. Got elected to the LS in 1984 on a Janata Party ticket and has been a member of the LS for four terms.

Power and post:  He became the Urban Development Minister in the UPA government. Leader of Opposition in the RS for a year from July 1992 to June 1992. Union Cabinet Minister for I&B between 1997-98 in the United Front government.

Murli Deora

RS member from Maharashtra

Background:  Industralist by profession, Deora’s parliamentary career began with his election from Mumbai South seat in 1985.

Political journey: Was President of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee for 22 years from 1984 to 2006. In April 2002, he became a RS member.
Power and post: Became Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2006.

Dr C P Joshi

MP from Bhilwara in Rajasthan

Background: A professor of psychology, he entered politics in 1980.

Political journey: Four-time MLA and Cabinet minister in Ashok Gehlot’s first term as CM. Lost 2008 Assembly poll by one vote

Power and post: He held Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department, PHED and Primary and Secondary Education ministries from 1998 to 2003.

Kamal Nath

MP from Chhindwara in MP

Background: Joined the INC in 1968 as a youth worker.

Political journey: Elected to Parliament for the first time in 1980. He has won eight elections from the backward and predominantly tribal constituency of Chhindwara.

Power and post: Union Minister of Environment and Forests in 1991. He became the Minister of Commerce and Industry in 2004.

Meira Kumar

MP from Sasaram in Bihar

Background: A 1973 batch IFS officer, she quit in 1985 to enter politics.
Political journey:Defeated Mayawati and Paswan in the by-election for Bijnor LS constituency in UP and registered her first poll victory in 1985.

Power and post: The five-term MP has been a CWC member and AICC general secretary. Was minister for Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004-2009.