S Jaishankar joins BJP, set to be elected to RS from Gujarat

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar formally joined the BJP on Monday in the presence of working president J P Nadda. He is set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.

Jaishankar, a career diplomat and a former foreign secretary, was inducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his government as external affairs minister following the Lok Sabha elections.

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He had replaced former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, who was seen as active and responsive through social media. Swaraj did not contest the Lok Sabha elections, leaving the foreign minister’s post vacant.

He was sworn in as a Cabinet minister along with other members of the government on May 30.

Not a member of Parliament, the BJP is likely to field him from Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha candidate.

He has to be a Member of Parliament within six months of his swearing in.