Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, announced his new cabinet, which gives a fair share of ministerial berths to key allies of the BJP-led NDA government. Both the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) secured two ministerial positions each, while other allies also received significant portfolios.
Key appointments in the Modi 3.0 cabinet include HD Kumaraswamy from the Janata Dal (Secular) as the Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh from the Janata Dal (United) as Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, with Ram Nath Thakur from the same party named Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Jitan Ram Manjhi from Hindustani Awam Morcha takes over as the new Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) as the Minister of Civil Aviation, and Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani from the TDP as Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Communications.
Chirag Paswan from the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) gets Minister of Food Processing Industries, a portfolio earlier held by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan. Jayant Chaudhary from the Rashtriya Lok Dal takes over as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education.
Anupriya Patel from Apna Dal (S) takes over as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Ramdas Athawale from the Republican Party of India (RPI) continuing as Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav from Shiv Sena as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of AYUSH and Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Significance Of Allies
Both the TDP and JD(U) are crucial allies of the BJP in the NDA government, with the TDP having 16 MPs and the JD(U) having 12 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The cabinet appointments reflect the importance of these alliances, ensuring broad representation and inclusivity in the government.
The new cabinet includes a total of 11 ministers from BJP's allies, distributed as follows: two from the Telugu Desam Party, two from the Janata Dal (United), one from the Lok Janshakti Party, one from the Janata Dal (Secular), one from Shiv Sena, one from the Republican Party of India (Athawale), one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal, one from Apna Dal, and one from Hindustani Awam Morcha.
The inclusion of leaders from diverse parties such as the Janata Dal (United), Telugu Desam Party, Lok Janshakti Party, and others underscores the Modi 3.0 cabinet's emphasis on coalition politics and representation of various regional interests.