New Delhi: Manmohan Singh was today (May 22, 2004) sworn in as the Prime Minister at the head of a 67-member first-ever Congress-led coalition Government that has 28 Cabinet Ministers, including 18 from Congress and 39 Ministers of State, 10 of them having independent charge.

Among the Congress veterans who found their way back into the Ministry were Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh, K Natwar Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P R Dasmunsi, Shankersinh Vaghela, P M Sayeed and H R Bhardwaj.

Dr Manmohan's Council of Ministers


Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Laloo Prasad Yadav and his senior colleague Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan, Jharkhand Mukhti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren and Telungana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao were also inducted into the Cabinet.

President A P J Abdul Kalam administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new incumbents at a function at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) leaders who got Cabinet berths were T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) chief S Ramadoss' son Ambumani Ramadoss also made it to the Cabinet.

Other Congress leaders who got into the Cabinet were: Kamal Nath, S Jaipal Reddy, Shish Ram Ola, P Chidamabaram, Mahavir Prasad, P R Kyndiah, Mani Shankar Aiyer, Sunil Dutt and Meira Kumar.

A surprise inclusion in the Cabinet were that of former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil and former Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed both of whom were defeated in the recent Lok Sabha polls.