New Delhi: Smriti Irani at 43 years of age has emerged as the youngest in the second Narendra Modi government's council of ministers, who with an average age of 60 years, are a shade younger than their predecessors, who had an average of 62 years.
Anurag Singh Thakur, 44, Mansukh Mandaviya and Sanjeev Kumar Balayan at 46 years and Kiren Rijiju at 47 are among the youngest in the group.
First time ministers Rameswar Teli and Debasree Chaudhuri are both 48 years old.
BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan is the oldest at 73 years of age. Close on his heels are Thaawar Chand Gehlot and Santosh Kumar Gangwar at 71 years.
The average age of the council of ministers has decreased because many in the previous Modi government ,who were over 65 years of age, are no longer part of the new one.
While senior leader Arun Jaitley, 66, has opted out of the Cabinet over ill-health, Sushma Swaraj, 67, who also had health issues, was a notable omission from the council of ministers.
Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete, 68, senior Haryana leader Chaudhary Birender Singh, 73, six-time MP Radhamohan Singh, 70, former union tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam, 65, have all lost their ministerial berths.
Senior Delhi BJP leader Vijay Goel, 65, Pon Radhakrishnan, 67, who lost the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat this time and S S Ahluwalia, 67, who won from Durgapur and a Dalit leader who won from Bijapur in Karnataka Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi, 66, have failed to find a place in the council of minister this time.
Assam leader Rajen Gohain, 68, Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, Virendra Kumar, 65, have also been left out.
Rajathan BJP leaders, C R Chaudhary and P P Chaudhary, 71 and 65, respectively, have been both been dropped from the government.
In the outgoing council of ministers, former minister of state for health, Anupriya Patel, 38, was the youngest. However, she has failed to retain her berth.
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