Journalism of Courage
Narendra Modi - Exactly a year ago, the nation was battling the brutal second Covid-19 wave amid looming economic distress, vaccine management was a mess, the farm protests were deadlocked, the BJP had come a cropper in West Bengal — all this seems like history. With 183 crore Covid vaccine doses administered to Indians, a Budget betting on a capex push, the BJP’s stunning return in four states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has galvanised his party and government.
Amit Shah - Despite there being a new BJP chief in J P Nadda, Shah continues to exert considerable influence in the party. As the Union Home Minister, he remains the effective No. 2 in the government.
Mohan Bhagwat - Despite talk of the Modi-Shah combine overshadowing the RSS’s hold over the BJP organisation, the RSS continues to have the BJP’s back.
J P Nadda - Having lost the elections in West Bengal under his watch, Nadda’s BJP bounced back this year, delivering four out of five state election victories, including a spectacular one in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. This would have a significant impact on the party’s march towards 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Also, his initiatives during the pandemic helped the BJP tide over public anger against the government in states ruled by the party over their handling of the pandemic.
Mukesh Ambani - The richest Indian with a net worth of over $96 billion (according to Forbes), Mukesh Ambani has concluded multiple deals across telecom, retail and energy segments over the last couple of years. He raised investments worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore from investors, including Google and Facebook. The group has been expanding its retail business and has made investments of close to Rs 9,000 crore in over a dozen acquisitions and joint ventures in the current fiscal.
Yogi Adityanath - If the BJP won the last UP election primarily in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “Yogi-Modi” was the mascot of the 2022 winning campaign. In an election fought on his governance in the last five years, especially law and order, Adityanath steered the BJP to a second consecutive term in UP. He became the first Chief Minister to return to power in the state after completing a five-year term, making the BJP the first party to retain power in UP since 1985.
Gautam Adani - Gautam Adani goes from strength to strength, having built the third Indian business conglomerate worth over $100 billion in no time. Perceived to be close to power, the group is now an infrastructure major, with ports, airports, power, city gas distribution and renewable energy in its portfolio.
Ajit Doval - Known to enjoy Prime Minister Modi’s trust, Doval continues to be the most powerful official in the Government. His long-standing experience in managing national security has come in handy as the Government has had to deal with challenges at home and overseas. Not only has he been key to policymaking on China and Pakistan, he has influence on matters related to policing in the country and Kashmir. He will also be a key influencer on the decision to appoint the next Chief of Defence Staff, as the integration of defence services is a priority for the government.
Arvind Kejriwal - With his party’s victory in the recent Punjab Assembly Election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief has emerged as a strong voice of opposition against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). AAP also managed to win two Assembly seats in Goa, its first win outside of Delhi and Punjab. The scale of the win in Punjab — AAP won 92 seats out of 117 — was a shot in the arm for the party in an electorally crucial year, where it wants to extend its footprint in two new states.
Nirmala Sitharaman - Steering the world’s sixth-largest and fastest-growing economy, Nirmala Sitharaman is sitting in the government’s engine room of reforms. The government’s privatisation policy has been welcomed despite the slow speed of implementation. A record push towards capital expenditure next year is seen as stoking private investment and creating enablers for a sustainable high growth.
Mamta Banerjee - She single-handedly took on the BJP in Bengal to return as the state’s Chief Minister for the third time with a thumping majority.She has been pressing ahead with expanding her party nationally and made a bold attempt to make her party’s presence felt in Goa. N V Ramana - As the 48th Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana pushed for increased women’s participation in the judiciary. Rajnath Singh - He is one of the seniormost Cabinet ministers in the government, who is considered more approachable by members from across the aisle in Parliament. His is an important voice in the Cabinet; not many have the heft that he commands.
B L Santhosh - Ever since he became BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) in July 2019, his stock in the party has only been rising. He has been integral to all party strategy for state elections. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar - In this pandemic year and amid a fast-shifting geopolitical scenario, Jaishankar has led the External Affairs Ministry with a steady and firm hand through a series of challenges: changes in Washington, DC; border standoff with China; vaccine diplomacy; the Russian war against Ukraine. Uddhav Thackeray - He completed two years as Chief Minister while keeping the triumvirate alliance of the Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP together despite their diverse ideologies.
Sharad Pawar - The pivot around which the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance (MVA) in Maharashtra revolves, he is the only Opposition leader with the ability to act and be the bridge between different anti-BJP parties. Dharmendra Pradhan - After handling the Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry for seven years, Pradhan was given charge of education during the last Cabinet reshuffle in July 2021. He was in-charge of the BJP’s assembly poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh, in which the party returned to power in March. D Y Chandrachud - In line to be Chief Justice of India in November this year, Justice DY Chandrachud is a key figure in India’s judicial landscape. His verdicts, including those on powerful dissents, expansion of fundamental rights and freedoms, have been keenly watched.
Bhupender Yadav - Known for his organisational skills in the BJP, Yadav has rapidly built political capital as a Union minister. He has left his stamp as a proactive implementer of the government’s targets, be it banning single-use plastic or as Labour Minister. Shaktikanta Das - He has been leading India’s central bank, effectively tackling the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, the economic slowdown and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. N Chandrasekaran - Chandrasekaran has been busy transforming traditional businesses and taking fresh strides, too. Today, Tata Steel generates profits and has significantly pared down its debt and Tata Motors has emerged as a key player and is currently way ahead of competition on electric vehicle (EV) sales.
M K Stalin - After his party’s resounding victories in the 2019 Lok Sabha and last year’s Assembly polls, Stalin has emerged as the most popular leader of Tamil Nadu. Pinarayi Vijayan - Pinarayi Vijayan heads the only Communist government in India since 2016. In the 2021 assembly elections, he weathered a slew of political storms, retained power as the captain of Kerala in its hour of crisis and calamities. Mansukh Mandaviya - The handling of the Covid-19 pandemic came under immense criticism during the ferocious second wave. Then came the massive Cabinet reshuffle. The Prime Minister’s surprise pick during the crisis time was the junior minister for Chemical and Fertilisers, Mansukh Mandaviya.
Nitin Gadkari - One of the most popular and best-performing ministers of the Modi Government, he enjoys personal goodwill on both sides of the political aisle. He is also the longest serving Road Transport and Highways Minister, retaining the portfolio since 2014. Sonia Gandhi - Sonia Gandhi still remains the supreme and unchallenged leader of the Congress, the only party besides the BJP with a pan-Indian, although shrinking, footprint. Uday Kotak - The third-richest banker in the world, he headed a panel that drafted corporate governance norms for Indian industry and heads the team that is salvaging IL&FS, which imploded in a Rs 1 lakh-crore scam.
Piyush Goyal - Having led modernisation efforts as Railways Minister and a drive for rural electrification as Power Minister, he is considered the ‘big push’ man who is foregrounding the Government’s efforts to improve access to key foreign markets. MM Naravane - The current Chief of Army Staff, under him, the Army’s manoeuvres on Kailash Ranges in Chushul sub-sector in eastern Ladakh had put pressure on China to agree on a pullback from some of the most tense friction points. Dattatreya Hosabale - RSS (sarkaryawah) executive head Hosabale has influence on key policy issues in the BJP government, more than anyone in the Sangh Parivar. Headquartered in Lucknow, he has influence in the UP BJP and the Yogi Adityanath government, making his role crucial in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024 .
Himanta Biswa Sarma - The BJP’s most powerful chief minister in the Northeast, he is seen as the dean of the political circuit there. Known for his controversial remarks, he brings to the table a clout that transcends the party’s core vote base. Naveen Patnaik - Not only is he the longest-serving chief minister, but with the recent rural polls, where the BJD made a record sweep, Naveen Patnaik is now the undisputed leader of the masses. In a sharply divided polity, he often marks the middle ground. Ashok Gehlot - As chief minister of one of the last remaining Congress-ruled states, Gehlot has soldiered on despite attempts by party rebels and the BJP to diminish his stature as the tallest leader in the state.
Bhupesh Baghel - One of the only two Congress chief ministers, Bhupesh Baghel has managed to establish a Chhattisgarh Model of governance with a special focus on rural industries. Manish Sisodia - As Aam Aadmi Party’s electoral focus goes national, it is Deputy Chief Minister’s model and work on improving schools in Delhi that will form the basis of each manifesto. Kejriwal’s closest confidant since his activist days, Sisodia is also his biggest sounding board on matters of governance as well as politics. Tushar Mehta - As the second seniormost law officer, Tushar Mehta is in charge of defending the government in court. From Covid-19 management to tough cases on national security, Mehta has been at the forefront of all legal battles and is a trusted resource of the Modi government.
K Chandrashekar Rao - Powerful and popular even in his second term as chief minister, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) did not hesitate to lock horns when the state’s interests were at stake, and took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over procurement of paddy and other issues; one of the few CMs to do so. Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy - He continues to be the most popular political leader and has led the state through Covid, making it possible for the poor to get free treatment at private hospitals, upgraded health infrastructure, set up oxygen plants at all government centres and gave subsidies to all private facilities to install their own oxygen plants. Shivraj Singh Chouhan - Chouhan is BJP’s longest-serving chief minister in office after having completed 15 years and 17 days in office. After the 2018 debacle, the BJP, under his leadership, has made a spectacular return to power, having increased its seat share from 109 seats it won in the 2018 Assembly election to 127 seats in the House of 230.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Tasked with implementing the Centre’s ambitious programmes — Jal Jeevan Mission and Namami Gange — Shekhawat’s stature has witnessed a steady rise during the NDA’s second term. Hardeep Singh Puri - Puri is overseeing the execution of the Modi government’s flagship schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Manohar Lal Khattar - He survived the farmers’ agitation in a state where it was the most intense and long-drawn. Besides, he managed to keep the coalition government with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party intact although the latter has farmers as its votebank.
Smriti Irani - Having held back the Gandhis and holding her own in Amethi still, she is an articulate spokesperson of the Modi regime. She has risen through the ranks in the BJP, defending the party and the government stridently at public fora. Anurag Singh Thakur - Among the BJP’s most promising young leaders, Thakur was promoted in last year’s Cabinet shake-up. From being a MoS in the weighty Finance Ministry, Thakur was given Cabinet rank and two ministries — Information & Broadcasting, and Sports and Youth Affairs. Sanjay Kumar Mishra - An IRS officer with a long career in the Income Tax Department, Sanjay Mishra has transformed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the country’s most-dreaded Central agency. He has gone after the most high-profile politicians from the Opposition — from P Chidambaram and DK Shivakumar to TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee.
Jay Shah - From the time Jay Shah took over as the BCCI secretary in 2019, Indian cricket’s power centre shifted to the world’s largest cricket stadium at Motera, Gujarat. The 33-year-old engineering graduate is India’s representative at ICC and is the youngest president of the Asian Cricket Council. Nita Ambani - Since making her first foray into Indian sport 14 years ago, when Reliance bought the Mumbai franchise of the IPL, she has been involved in Indian football, basketball, e-sports and Olympic disciplines. Her influence on Indian sport was reinforced earlier this year when she led India’s successful bid to host the International Olympic Committee Session in 2023, which will be hosted at the Reliance-owned Jio World Centre in Mumbai. Ashwini Vaishnaw - From relative obscurity, Vaishnaw was catapulted to the hot seat, heading crucial ministries — Railways, Telecom and IT — in the reshuffle of 2021, giving the impression that he was handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.
Neeraj Chopra - In Tokyo last year, he became only the second Indian sportsperson to win a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, and the first track-and-field athlete to finish on the top of the podium. The feat propelled the javelin thrower to an unprecedented level of popularity. Rahul Gandhi - Rahul Gandhi is the emperor of a kingdom which is in secular decline. But he is still the most consistent and vociferous anti-BJP voice in the Opposition space. Kiren Rijiju - Rising the ranks, Kiren Rijiju was elevated to the rank of Cabinet minister in 2021 and given charge of the Ministry of Law and Justice. Although he is a law graduate, Rijiju is relatively new to the politics of the judiciary.
C R Paatil - Considered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s man, Paatil is currently at the centre of Gujarat politics. The first leader with non-Gujarati roots to be appointed to an important post, his is the final word on any political matter in the state. Nitish Kumar - Given his image as a “development man”, Nitish Kumar emerged as the consensus choice for the state CM for a fourth tenure, despite JD(U) being No.3 party in the state, behind RJD and BJP. The BJP has not yet openly challenged his position. Tejashwi Yadav - Yadav is the most important politician in Bihar right now, after CM Nitish Kumar. With RJD chief Lalu Prasad out of politics since long owing to his conviction, and failing health, his youngest son is a promising leader, in control of his party.
Akhilesh Yadav - With Mayawati’s BSP and the Congress retreating into the shadows in the recent Uttar Pradesh polls, making it a bipolar fight, Akhilesh Yadav has become the state’s strongest Opposition leader. SP and its allies won 125 of 403 seats — up from the SP’s 47 seats in 2017. Bimal Patel - His firm handles important public projects including the Central Vista in New Delhi, the Rs 1,200-crore Sabarmati Ashram Redevelopment Project in Ahmedabad and has completed the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi, in record time, in spite of Covid-19 restrictions. D K Shivakumar - Shivakumar has been a trouble-shooter for the Congress over the years and is one of the wealthiest politicians in Karnataka.
Ghulam Nabi Azad - A quintessential Congress insider for almost five decades, he is now the dissenter-in-chief. The former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has managed to rally a group of senior leaders calling for reforms in the intransigent Congress, mounting a serious challenge to the Gandhis. Azim Premji - The founding president of one of India’s largest conglomerates, his company continues to have a successful run. He is still a mentoring influence in Wipro’s efforts to push the boundaries in terms of new technology. Bhagwant Singh Mann - The comedian-turned-politician steered the Aam Aadmi Party to a historic win in the Punjab Assembly elections, giving wings to his party’s national ambitions. He has broken Punjab’s traditional alternation of power between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Asaduddin Owaisi - He has established himself as one of the leading voices representing his community. With his eyes on national politics, Owaisi has guided his party AIMIM into several states where his candidates have won many seats in local elections. Rajeev Chandrasekhar - A strong proponent of good governance through institutional reforms, Chandrasekhar is a politician, technocrat and a third-term member of Rajya Sabha. He has been assigned two key portfolios — Electronics & IT and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Byju Raveendran - Byju’s eponymous ed-tech company is India’s biggest unicorn valued at over $22 billion. In the face of criticism over aggressive sales techniques, the platform continued its fund-raising spree.
PK Mishra - Mishra has slowly but surely emerged as the PM’s man-Friday over the years in matters related to complex bureaucratic appointments, departmental policy logjams and the like. Amit Khare - Till his retirement last year, Khare was among the few serving bureaucrats in the country that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) relied heavily on for planning the government’s communication strategy. In his new role, he primarily looks after the social welfare sectors, including education and rural development. Hemant Soren - Such is Soren’s political capital that despite persistent efforts of the BJP to dethrone him, his coalition government won two by-elections, including in Dumka.
Sunil Bharti Mittal - Rivalry with Reliance Jio and the costly Supreme Court judgment on past statutory dues were not enough to perturb the country’s second-largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel, even as its competitor Vodafone Idea nearly went belly up. Rohit Sharma - Sharma has grown in stature having been crowned India’s all-format captain. Once seen as a batsman with a questionable temperament for the longer version, he has been the team’s highest scorer in Tests in the last few years, with 906 runs in 11 games. Anand Mahindra - With Anand Mahindra at the helm, the $21-billion Mahindra Group has expanded at home and abroad into a wide range of industrial sectors — be it automobiles, agriculture, IT or aerospace.
Manoj Sinha - He has been a leader since his ABVP student-activist days. By implementing central schemes, managing the security scenario, pushing the Centre’s development agenda, and bringing in investments, the BJP sees Sinha’s handling of J&K as effective. Madhabi Puri Buch, - She is the first woman chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). She is also the first person from the private sector to head the markets regulator. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury - As the leader of the Congress — the single largest opposition party in Lok Sabha — Chowdhury is its voice on key panels which pick the CBI Director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Central Information Commissioner, Chairman and members of the NHRC and the Lokpal.
Omar Abdullah - As its rival PDP has lost considerable ground in the Valley and smaller parties have failed to make a mark, the National Conference has a chance to re-emerge as a potent political force in J&K. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - On paper, she is the AICC general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh. She was for long the conscience-keeper of both mother Sonia and brother Rahul, but is now increasingly assertive and has come to play a key role in decision making in the party, TV Somanathan - As the seniormost secretary among the five secretaries in the Finance Ministry, Somanathan is one of the most influential bureaucrats. He is trusted by the Government for articulating economic policy.
Kumar Mangalam Birla - In the 25 years at the helm of the Aditya Birla Group, he has raised the group’s turnover by over 20 times, to $45 billion. He has been the architect of over 40 successful acquisitions in India and abroad, the highest by any Indian multinational. Baba Ramdev - Baba Ramdev is looking to build India’s leading consumer-goods brand in Patanjali Ayurved with hopes of overtaking FMCG companies like Hindustan Unilever. Patanjali Ayurved reported Rs 485 crore in net profits for the 2020-21 financial year. Mehbooba Mufti - If any mainstream politician in Jammu & Kashmir has stood up to BJP and its policies, it is Mehbooba Mufti. She is unafraid to voice her stand on Kashmir and its related issues.
Virat Kohli - Though he is no longer the captain, the Kohli brand hasn’t yet been dented. He still retains the charisma to fill stadium seats and sell products. For his 100th Test in Mohali, BCCI had to roll back on their decision to hold the game behind closed doors, apparently because of the social media outrage of Kohli fans. Fali S Nariman - With almost seven decades of practising law, Fali Nariman has witnessed nearly all the watershed moments of the judiciary and draws from that vast experience. He remains one of the country’s most respected jurists and constitutional lawyers. Shah Rukh Khan - He is the guru of reinvention. He has shaped the entertainment industry for three decades and is back in an action-hero avatar with Pathaan and filmmaker Atlee’s double-role thriller Lion.
Devendra Fadnavis - He has consistently led the BJP’s charge against the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, pressuring it with timely revelations. He was instrumental in scripting the BJP’s victory in Goa. Pushkar Singh Dhami - Dhami, who became Uttarakhand’s youngest chief minister eight months ago, led the BJP to a second consecutive term — the first time an incumbent has returned to power in the hill state. Rajiv Gauba - As PM Modi’s top man in central bureaucracy, Gauba has not only been key to formulating and implementing government policy on India’s response to Covid-19. He’s steered coordination between the Centre and the states on record vaccinations achieved by the country.
Tuhin Kanta Pandey - He is the current secretary of DIPAM. With an ambitious privatisation agenda lined up by the government, DIPAM will be at the forefront of the Centre’s push to reduce its business presence and give a greater play to the private sector. Nandan Nilekani - Having started his entrepreneurial journey in the Indian IT industry in 1981, Nilekani is among the rare entrepreneurs who have successfully executed projects in the public as well as the private sector. Ram Sewak Sharma - Soon after he retired from the IAS, he was appointed CEO of the apex body implementing the ambitious Ayushman Bharat Yojana – National Health Authority. An expert on technology and big data, he was entrusted with developing the CoWIN platform that has served as the backbone for Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country.
M Jagadesh Kumar - An electronics engineer by training from the IIT-Madras, Kumar taught at the IIT-Delhi for nearly two decades between 1997 and 2016, when he was made the vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). In February, he was made chairperson of the University Grants Commission. Sushil Chandra - Chandra took over as the 24th CEC last April and oversaw key Assembly elections. As member of the Delimitation Commission, he will play an important role in deciding the redrawn boundaries of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in Jammu & Kashmir. Prashant Kishor - He has transformed political campaigning in India in many ways, from pushing parties to adopt data analysis in a more structured manner to disruptive publicity drives. Two general elections and many Assembly polls later, Kishor has emerged as a formidable force in the minefield of Indian politics.
Amitabh Kant - The current CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant has been a key driver of the government’s flagship initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India and Incredible India. Harish Salve - India’s most sought after corporate lawyer may have shifted base to London but is still a regular in courts in the country. He represents big corporate houses, including Reliance and Tata Sons. Kangana Ranaut - With four National Awards, this Padma Shri recipient has proved that commerce respects talent even if you are on a solitary road. She continues to make headlines with her no-holds-barred opinions, engaging in blistering debates with critics on all public platforms. She is the poster girl of pop nationalism.
Mayawati - Though the BSP won just one seat in the UP Assembly polls, its vote share at 13 per cent is still way above the Congress’s 2.3 per cent. Though a much-diminished figure heading a party that seems less than agile in keeping up with the demands of new politics, Mayawati remains relevant in Uttar Pradesh politics. Akshay Kumar - He is the most visible barometer of the public pulse. He kept the industry afloat with his Bellbottom, Sooryavanshi and Bachchan Pandey, earning close to Rs 200 crore in the pandemic gap years. Alia Bhatt - After establishing herself as a versatile and emotive actor at a relatively young age, she has proved herself to be a crowd-puller of the Rs 100 crore-plus club with Gangubai Kathiawadi, where she literally carried the film on her shoulders.
Pralhad Joshi - Joshi’s emergence in national politics has been slow but steady. Considered close to BJP’s influential organisational general secretary BL Santhosh, he’s always had the backing of the RSS in Karnataka and now at the Centre. Prasoon Joshi - One of the prominent lyricists of Hindi cinema and top-ranking adman, Joshi has been chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) since 2017. He played a key role in digitising CBFC. Ramachandra Guha - His scholarship is marked by regour and accessible story-telling that draws readers, across generations, to modern Indian history. At a time when much of it is contested, his formidable range of books enriches insight as much as it provokes thought.
