NEW DELHI: Ending the suspense and speculation over which of the four Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) ministries would be Amit Shah's, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced around noon on Friday that it would be home, with the other heavyweight portfolio that was being mentioned as a possibility for the BJP president -- finance -- going to Nirmala Sitharaman , who breaks yet another glass ceiling in the course of her meteoric rise in the last five years.Shah replaces Rajnath Singh, who was at home through the five years of the Modi government's first term and who now moves to defence in place of Sitharaman. After being the first full-time woman defence minister, Sitharaman has made history again at finance with her diagonal walk across the road from South Block to North Block. Indira Gandhi also held the portfolio, but in addition to being Prime Minister.Completing the quartet will be former diplomat and foreign secretary S Jaishankar at the ministry of external affairs. Although his induction in the Cabinet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned just about everyone on Thursday, the assignment of the portfolio itself on Friday came as no surprise.TOI was the first to report, on the day of the LS results, that Shah would most likely join the government in a 'crucial portfolio'; and in our edition of May 31, we front-paged two scenarios, the first of which was exactly what was announced the day after.The switch-around in the ‘Raisina Four’ follows finance minister Arun Jaitley's decision to opt out on health grounds and Sushma Swaraj not being repeated as external affairs minister.Among the others, Piyush Goyal , while keeping railways, has been entrusted another demanding portfolio in commerce and industry where there is a long-pending list of issues to be addressed, including trade negotiations, particularly with the US.Shah’s appointment, amid indications that he might continue as BJP chief, is an unambiguous confirmation that he occupies a place next only to Modi in the BJP establishment’s newly drawn pecking order. His arrival in the home ministry as an unabashed Hindu nationalist who reveres Hindutva ideologue Savakar is freighted with a clear message. His tenure as Gujarat home minister during Modi’s chief ministership was defined by the hunt for terrorists.Jaishankar, a career diplomat, shares a rapport with the PM, in sync with his view of an ambitious foreign policy that seeks to build strategic alliances. The success in working with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the aftermath of Pulwama and Balakot air strikes, are indicative of the sort of foreign policy trajectories he can be expected to pursue. With NSA Ajit Doval, he would be part of a cohesive team.Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari , a high performer in the Modi government, has been given the politically sensitive portfolio of micro, small and medium enterprises, which relates to job creation. Though BJP managed to address concerns over unemployment which the opposition sought to raise during the election, the party does not want to leave a flank exposed and proposes to begin to find ways to boost this large sector early in the PM’s second term.Former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ is yet another surprise for his selection as HRD minister. The ministry is large and often at the centre of political and cultural battles over textbook curriculum with BJP’s opponents and critics often levelling charges of saffronisation -- and it received a fresh lease of life on Friday with social media recalling some of the new minister's old statements, terming astrology as science and claiming Indians knew nuclear science one lakh years ago. Under Prakash Javadekar, the ministry was free of controversy and Pokhriyal will need to grapple with issues of both autonomy and regulation in higher education in state and private sectors. The minister’s reputation of being an affable networker may help him negotiate some sharp bends.Other important selections include Narendra Singh Tomar getting the ministries of agriculture and farmers’ welfare besides rural development, and Hardeep Singh Puri retaining urban affairs and taking on civil aviation.Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan also gets steel and remains an important cabinet minister who enjoys the trust of the party bosses. His work during the Odisha campaign has also worked in his favour.Prakash Javadekar is an old media hand, his easy manner an asset in information and broadcasting. Known to wade into controversy, Giriraj Singh has the culturally and politically — and economically — important ministry of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. Arunachal Pradesh leader Kiren Rijiju has a new arena with independent charge of youth affairs and sports.Textiles minister Smriti Irani has been given additional charge of women and child development, the ministry vacated by Maneka Gandhi. Having earned the ‘giant killer’ tag after a stunning victory over Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Irani has several tasks on her hands, ranging from fixing the Anganwadi programme to getting the Integrated Child Development Services scheme working well.New entrant Pralhad Joshi will be minister of state with independent charge for coal and mines, an important charge given the sector’s reputation for lobbying and graft. He needs to ensure gains in supply stability and transparent e-auctions are not lost.MoS in foreign ministry V K Singh has been moved to road transport and highways, a diminution for the former Army chief. Himachal leader Anurag Thakur enters the government as MoS finance while other new entrants at MoS level have been distributed across portfolios that are intended to match their political constituencies.