15 ministers of state inducted

New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday administered the oath of office and secrecy to 15 MPs as ministers of state. Of them, 14 are new faces, with Thiruvananthapuram MP making a comeback after two years.

Of the 15, two – Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari and Telugu actor-turned-politician K. Chiranjeevi – will hold independent charge.

The largest contingent of four is from Andhra Pradesh Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy, Sarve Satyanarayana, Porika Balram Naik and Killi Kruparani.

Three are from West Bengal: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury and Deepa Dasmunsi.

Two are from the northeast: Ranee Narah (Assam) and Ninong Ering (Arunachal Pradesh).

Kerala has two ministers: Shahsi Tharoor and Kodikunnil Suresh.

Maharashtra and Rajasthan have one minister each: Tariq Anwar and Lalchand Kataria.

With the exception of Tariq Anwar, who is from the NCP, the other 14 belong to the Congress.