Meet Dr Singh's B team

Cabinet Ministers

Vilasrao Deshmukh attracted wide-spread criticism after he took film director Ram Gopal Varma for a terror tour of Hotel Taj, in the wake of the 26/11 attacks. The Maharashtra chief minister initially refused to resign, but was forced to do so by the party's top brass.

Virbhadra Singh has served as the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh five times. He was the deputy minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation at the Centre from December 1976 to March 1977 and the minister of state for Industries from September 1982 to April 1983.

Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior Congress leader from Karnataka, and has served as the president of the state's pradesh congress committee. Kharge, who hails from the Dalit community, has often been touted as the chief minister-in-waiting.

Ministers of State

Jitin Prasada is the son of former Union Minister Jiten Prasada. He won the 2009 election from Dhauraha in Uttar Pradesh.

K V Thomas is a Congress MP from Ernakulam in Kerala.

Harish Rawat is a 4th term Congress MP from Hardwar in Uttarakhand.

M M Pallam Raju is a Congress MP from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

Cabinet Ministers

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, who won from the Hazratbal constituency, has held the post of chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. His son, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, heads the NC-Congress coalition government in the state.

Selja Kumari, another Dalit Congress leader, hails from Haryana. She has served as a minister of state (independent charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in the first UPA government. She was also part of the Narasimha Rao-led Congress government, where she served as the Minister of State for Education and Culture.

Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was elected from the Chandigarh constituency, has served as the minister  of state in the Ministry of Finance in the first UPA cabinet.

Cabinet Ministers

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Dayanidhi Maran has served as the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology in the first United Progressive Alliance government. He was forced to resign from his post after a bitter feud with granduncle and DMK patriarch Karunanidhi.

Mukul Wasnik, who was elected from Ramtek in Maharashtra, has previously served as the Union Minister for Sports. He is also general secretary of the All India Congress Committee.

Subodh Kant Sahay, who was elected from Ranchi in Jharkhand, has held the post of the Minister of State for Home in the V P Singh government. In the first UPA government, he has served as the minister of state in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

Cabinet Ministers

DMK leader A Raja, who was elected from the Nilgiris constituency, took over as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology from Maran. Raja was accused of incompetence and corruption in the spectrum scandal.  He allegedly issued over a hundred new mobile licences during his tenure.

G K Vasan, a Congress leader from Tamil Nadu, has previously held the portfolio minister of state (independent charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Labour and Employment

M K Azhagiri is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's elder son, won the Madurai Lok Sabha seat. This is Azhagiri's maiden win in an election.

Cabinet Ministers

Congress leader Dr M S Gill, a former Election Commissioner, replaced  Mani Shankar Aiyar  as the Minister of State  (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Kantilal Bhuria, a Congress leader from Ratlam constituency in Madhya Pradesh , held the dual portfolios of minister of state in the Ministry of Agriculture  and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Ministers of State with independent charge

Nationalist Congress Party member Praful Patel won from the Bhandara - Gondiya constituency in Maharashtra. One of the richest MPs in the Parliament, Patel was the Minister of State for Civil Aviation in the first UPA government.

Congress leader Prithviraj Chauhan, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office in the first UPA government, is a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Congress leader Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home Affairs in the first UPA government, won from the Kanpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Ministers of State with independent charge

Senior Congress leader Salman Khursheed won the Lok Sabha polls from Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He has also served as the president of the UP Congress committee and the minister of state for External Affairs in the Narsimha Rao-led government.

Dinsha Patel, who won from Kheda constituency in Gujarat on a Congress ticket, served as the Minister of State  in the first UPA government.

Ministers of state with Independent Charge

Jairam Ramesh, a member of the Andhra Pradesh, served as the Minister of State  as well as the Minister of State for Power  in the first UPA government. He resigned from his position to work on the Congress' campaign strategy for the Lok Sabha polls.

Krishna Tirath, who won from the North West Delhi constituency, has previously served as the Minister for Social Welfare, SC & ST and Labour & Employment in the Delhi government. But she was forced to resign in after differences with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Ministers of State

Jyotiraditya Scindia is the son of former Union minister Madhavrao Scindia. He won the 2009 election from Dausa in Madhya Pradesh. He was MoS for IT in the previous govt.

V Narayanasamy is a senior Congress leader who was elected from the Union Territory of Puducherry. He also served as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning in the Manmohan Singh-led government.

Ministers of State

Agatha Sangma is the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Sangma.The Nationalist Congress Party nominee won her second election from Tura in Meghalaya.

Tushar Chaudhary is a second term Congress MP from Bardoli in Gujarat.

Bharatsinh Solanki is a second term Congress MP from Anand in Gujarat. He is the son of former Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki.

Preneet Kaur, a Congress MP from Patiala, is the wife of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

S Gandhiselvan is DMK MP from the hatchery town of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

Ministers of State

Ajay Maken is a Congress MP from New Delhi. He was MoS for Urban Development in the previous government.

Mahadev Khandela is a Congress MP from Sikar in Rajasthan.

Namo Narain Meena is a Congress MP, who was a former IPS officer. He was MoS for forests and environment in the previous government. He was elected from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan

Pradeep Jain is a Congress MP from Jhansi in Madhya Pradesh.

Prateek Patil is a Congress MP from Sangli in Maharashtra. He is the grandson of former Maharashtra CM Vasantadada Patil.

Ministers of State

Shashi Tharoor is a former UN under-secretary general and an author. He won his maiden election from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Congress ticket.

S Jagathrakshakan is a third term DMK MP from Arrakonam in TN. He was the leader of the AIADMK in the Lok Sabha in 1985.

D Napoleon is a DMK MP from Perambalur in TN.He is the only actor to win from Tamil Nadu in the 2009 polls.

S S Palanimanickam is a five-time MP of the DMK from Tamil Nadu. He is a former Union Minister of State for Finance.

Mohan Jatua is a former Additional Deputy Inspector General of Kolkata Police and a Trinamool Congress MP from Mathurapur in West Bengal.

Ministers of State

Sachin Pilot is part the Congress youth brigade. Pilot, the son of former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot, won from Ajmer in Rajasthan and is a Jat leader.

Arun Yadav is a Congress MP from Khargone in Madhya Pradesh.

K H Muniyappa is a six-time Congress MP from Kolar in Karnataka. He was MoS in the ministry of shipping, road transport and highways in the previous government.

A Sai Prathap is a Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Andhra Pradesh.

Ministers of State

Gurudas Kamat is a 6th term MP of the Congress from Mumbai North East in Maharashtra. He is a former head of the Mumbai City Congress.

Mukul Roy is a Trinamool Congress member in the Rajya Sabha.

Sultan Ahmed is a Trinamool Congress MP from Uluberia in West Bengal.

Shishir Adhikari is a Trinamool Congress MP from Kanthai in West Bengal. Adhikari was instrumental in the Nadigarm and Singur agitations against land acquisition for industry.

Saugata Ray is a Trinamool Congress MP from Dum Dum in West Bengal.