Who is Pabitra Margherita? PM Modi's surprise MEA pick from Assam

Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju's return to the NDA government was largely anticipated when President Droupadi Murmu administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to PM Narendra Modi and other Union Council of Ministers members on Sunday. However, Rajya Sabha MP Pabitra Margherita's inclusion from the Northeast was a surprise. Pabitra Margherita from Assam was sworn in as the Minister of State (MoS), marking an unexpected addition to the Cabinet.

Pabitra Margherita hails from the industrial town of Margherita in the Tinsukia district of eastern Assam. Although his real name is 'Pabitra Gogoi,' he uses his town's name (Margherita) as his surname. He belongs to the Ahom community.

At 49, Margherita began his career as the editor of two cultural magazines. A cultural activist and filmmaker, he produced several Assamese feature and short films, including the Junbai series and the feature film Mon Jaai. He is married to well-known Assamese actor Gayatri Mahanta.

In 2014, he entered politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over the years, he held various roles, including spokesperson for the Assam BJP unit and political secretary to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Additionally, he served as the zila prabhari (district in-charge) and head of the BJP's social media cell in Assam.

Elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Assam in 2022, Margherita's induction into the Union Cabinet is seen as a strategy to counter Congress' perceived resurgence in eastern Assam. Recently, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi secured a victory from the Jorhat seat, defeating BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi by 144,393 votes. Alongside his political roles, Margherita was the chairman of the Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio of the Assam government from 2017 to 2021. He also served as the member secretary of the state-level advisory committee for students and youth welfare between November 2021 and March 2022.