Sadananda Gowda, Narendra Singh Tomar given additional charge of Ananth Kumar’s portfolios

Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda has been assigned the charge of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, while Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been given the charge of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in addition to their existing portfolio following the demise of Union Minister and Karnataka BJP leader Ananth Kumar. 

The additional portfolios were earlier held by Ananth Kumar.

While Gowda is in charge of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Tomar holds the portfolio of the Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines.

 Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. The 59-year-old Bangalore South MP breathed his last around 2 am at the Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre where he was under care after returning home in October following treatment in the US and Britain.

 His wife Tejaswini and two daughters -- Aishwarya and Vijetha -- were by his side.

Joining politics in 1987, Kumar became a Union minister in the Vajpayee cabinet in 1998 when he was only 38. He remained in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now.

He served as an important link between the central and state units of the party.

 President Ram Nath Kovind, the prime minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and leaders across the political spectrum condoled the death the six-time parliamentarian.

(With PTI inputs)