Sarbananda Sonowal Waiting For 'Auspicious Day' To Take Charge As Union Minister In Modi Cabinet: Sources

Prominent political leaders who have been inducted into the Union cabinet include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Pashupati Kumar Paras.

File Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal who has been appointed as the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Minister of AYUSH, did not take charge as Union Minister on Thursday as he is reportedly waiting for an "auspicious day" to do the same.

Sarbananda Sonowal took the oath as Union Cabinet Minister on Wednesday.

According to the sources quoted by news agency ANI, the former Assam Chief Minister is waiting for an "auspicious day" to take charge and that day is likely to be the coming Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sonowal has started the business of the ministry in an official capacity as he held a preliminary meeting with the senior officials of the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways.

"Held a preliminary meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways in New Delhi and took an overview of the Ministry," Sonowal tweeted.

Earlier, he had met his close-aide turned Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in the national capital.

Newly-inducted ministers took the charge in their respective ministry after as many as 43 leaders were administered oaths on Wednesday in the first Union Cabinet reshuffle and expansion since Prime Minister Modi returned to power for a second term in May 2019.

Some of the prominent political leaders who have been inducted into the Union cabinet include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Pashupati Kumar Paras.

7 women MPs took oath as union ministers in the cabinet expansion which include Anupriya Patel, Shobha Karandlaje, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Meenakshi Lekhi, Annapurna Devi, Pratima Bhoumik and Bharati Pravin Pawar.

Besides this, 7 Ministers of State (MoS) have been promoted as Union Cabinet Ministers.