Raghav Deka named foreign minister in surprise cabinet reshuffle

Rajagriha, 22 June 2025: In a significant reshuffle of the Union Cabinet last night, Prime Minister Prince Mahir named seasoned politician and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Local Government Aryasri Maha Sri Uttama Raghav Deka as the new Foreign Minister, replacing Singhasri Tyler Mullins, who has been in office since March this year. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Aryasri Maha Sri Uttama Amir Abbas Arya'i, who also serves as the Education, Science and Technology Minister, has appointed the Defence Minister in addition to his education portfolio. He has been relieved of the charge as Second Foreign Minister.

Vice Prime Minister Aryasri Uttama Sri Suryadeva Kapei, who earlier served as the Defence Minister, has now been moved to the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs and Local Government, previously headed by Raghav Deka. Meanwhile, outgoing Foreign Minister Singhasri Tyler Mullins retained the portfolio of Justice and Human Rights Minister and has been assigned the additional portfolio of Law and Constitutional Affairs, earlier held by the Prime Minister.

Deka's appointment as foreign minister marks his return to the ministry after eight years. He served as the Minister of External Affairs in the fourth cabinet of Varuna Sriraya between December 2016 and April 2017. Arya'i returns to the defence ministry after almost two years. He briefly served as the defence minister in 2023. Deka's tenure will likely oversee several key policies, including strengthening the "Neighbourhood First" policy, greater cooperation with allies, and participation in multilateral forums. His appointment also marks the first time since Nirvan Mahanta's appointment in 2020 that a localite has been appointed to head the foreign ministry.