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| New Indian ministers are sworn in | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has finalised his new cabinet after days of political manoeuvring. | |
| Fifty-nine new ministers were sworn in at a ceremony in the capital, Delhi. They join Mr Singh and 19 others who took the oath of office on Friday. | |
| The 79-strong cabinet is a mix of young and old and gives representation to different castes and regions of India. | |
| Mr Singh is back in power for a second time after his Congress party won a decisive mandate in recent elections. | Mr Singh is back in power for a second time after his Congress party won a decisive mandate in recent elections. |
| He is the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to office following a full five-year term. | He is the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to office following a full five-year term. |
| Congress has made tackling the effects of the global economic crisis and ensuring growth its key priorities. | Congress has made tackling the effects of the global economic crisis and ensuring growth its key priorities. |
| When votes were counted on 16 May after the marathon five-phase general election, Congress and its allies had 262 seats in parliament, compared with the BJP-led alliance's 158. | When votes were counted on 16 May after the marathon five-phase general election, Congress and its allies had 262 seats in parliament, compared with the BJP-led alliance's 158. |
| New ministers | New ministers |
| Among those who have been sworn in on Thursday are the former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah. | |
| Ministers in the previous government Praful Patel, Sriprakash Jaiswal and Jairam Ramesh are also included in the second list. | Ministers in the previous government Praful Patel, Sriprakash Jaiswal and Jairam Ramesh are also included in the second list. |
| Those sworn in on Thursday include Agatha Sangma who at 28 years is India's youngest minister ever. | |
| Ms Sangma is an MP from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally of the Congress. | |
| Her father PA Sangma was a leading politician, and she has taken over his seat in parliament. | |
| Analysis: PM's tough agenda India's key new ministers What business wants | Analysis: PM's tough agenda India's key new ministers What business wants |
| Congress veterans Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony and P Chidambaram were among those taking the oath. | Congress veterans Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony and P Chidambaram were among those taking the oath. |
| The council of ministers includes several veterans as well as a number of young dynamic faces. | |
| Among the prominent young ministers are the Congress party's Jyotiraditya Scindia (38), Sachin Pilot (31) and Jitin Prasada (36). | |
| Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forwarded the list of new ministers to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday. | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forwarded the list of new ministers to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday. |
| Mr Singh also called all his cabinet ministers on the phone earlier in the day to discuss their role in the new government. | Mr Singh also called all his cabinet ministers on the phone earlier in the day to discuss their role in the new government. |
| The ministries are expected to be allotted once the ceremony is complete. | The ministries are expected to be allotted once the ceremony is complete. |
| Last Friday, Mr Singh and a 19-member cabinet took the oath of office from President Patil at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, in Delhi. | Last Friday, Mr Singh and a 19-member cabinet took the oath of office from President Patil at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, in Delhi. |
| Among them were Congress stalwarts like Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, AK Antony and SM Krishna. | |
| Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, leaders of the key alliance partners, were also included in the cabinet. | Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, leaders of the key alliance partners, were also included in the cabinet. |
| The prime minister's office had said that an expansion later on would give due representation to allied parties. | The prime minister's office had said that an expansion later on would give due representation to allied parties. |
| In recent days, Mr Singh and the leader of his Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, have been bargaining hard with their electoral allies over the distribution of cabinet positions. | In recent days, Mr Singh and the leader of his Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, have been bargaining hard with their electoral allies over the distribution of cabinet positions. |
| Soon after the election results were announced, the prime minister had said he would persuade Rahul Gandhi, son of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, to join the cabinet. | |
| But Mr Gandhi declined the offer; he said he wanted to continue his work to strengthen the party's youth wing. |