New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar formally joined the BJP on Monday in the presence of party working president J P Nadda. Jaishankar, a career diplomat and a former foreign secretary, was inducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his government as external affairs minister.

He was sworn in as a Cabinet minister along with other members of the government on May 30. The BJP is likely to field him from Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha candidate. He has to be a Member of Parliament within six months of his swearing in.

He joined Indian Foreign Service in 1977. He had also previously served as Indian Ambassador to the United States between 2014 and 2015, Of China between 2009 and 2013 and the Czech Republic between 2001 and 2004. He also served as High Commissioner to Singapore between 2007 and 2009.




Jaishankar also played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.