The allotment of cabinet ministries, which was the most anticipated component of the coalition government led by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), has finally been executed.
A prominent political party in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), has been an ally of the BJP for a very long time. It is currently in charge of the government in home state Bihar, and the NDA coalition receives a considerable boost in terms of electoral weight as a result of its backing.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a dominant figure in the political landscape of Andhra Pradesh. It will establish government shortly after its recent victory in state elections and still commands a significant support base in the region.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls 2024 is helped because both parties represent important vote banks and support bases. This is especially true in states where the saffron party has limited individual strength.
Even while the JD(U) and TDP provided crucial assistance by bringing in their respective voter bases, which resulted in an improvement in the NDA’s performance in the polls, the true test will be with regard to the distribution of power through cabinet portfolios. For the purpose of determining whether or not these allies have been catered to in accordance with their weight, I have split the cabinet roles according to their importance as follows:
1) Amit Shah, who is the Ministry of Home Affairs; Rajnath Singh, who is the Defence; Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is the External Affairs; and Nirmala Sitharaman, who is the Finance, went to the top of the list because these are the portfolios considered to be the most important for managing the country’s economy, protecting the nation’s finances, and ensuring national security.
2) Following those, I ranked Shivraj Singh Chouhan – Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Jagat Prakash Nadda – Health and Family Welfare / Chemicals and Fertilizers; Nitin Jairam Gadkari – Road Transport and Highways; Dharmendra Pradhan – Education; Ashwini Vaishnaw – Railways; and Piyush Goyal – Commerce and Industry higher, as these sectors have a huge impact on the lives of citizens and the economy.
3) The following ministries are placed next because of their impact on sustainability: Bhupender Yadav – Environment, Forest, and Climate Change; Hardeep Singh Puri – Petroleum and Natural Gas; G. Kishan Reddy – Coal; and G. Kishan Reddy – Mines.
4) I have prioritized these socially focused ministries over industry-specific ministries: the Minister of Labour and Employment; Mansukh Mandaviya—Women and Child Development; Virendra Kumar—Social Justice and Empowerment; and Jual Oram -Tribal Affairs.
5) After that come the industry-focused ministries: Manohar Lal Khattar, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Minister of Power; Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways; and Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation.
6) Although they are also industry-focused ministries, the following are ranked lower: Giriraj Singh— Textiles; Chirag Paswan—Food Processing Industries; H. D. Kumaraswamy—Heavy Industries; H. D. Kumaraswamy—Steel; and Jitan Ram Manjhi—Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
7) These are the bottom of the list ministries – Kiren Rijiju – Minority Affairs / Parliamentary Affairs; Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh – Panchayati Raj / Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat – Culture / Tourism, Pralhad Joshi – New and Renewable Energy; Ashwini Vaishnaw – Electronics and Information Technology / Minister of Information and Broadcasting; Mansukh Mandaviya – Youth Affairs and Sports; Amit Shah – Cooperation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia – Development of North Eastern Region.
In the above list, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh from JD(U) have been given the portfolios of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu from TDP has the portfolio of Civil Aviation.
Both Panchayati Raj and Civil Aviation are considered to be important ministries; nevertheless, they are not considered to be among the highest or most powerful ministries in the national government. Compared to other portfolios, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry are considered to be underrepresented.
Key allies JD(U) and the TDP would generally be expected to have representation in some of the highest-ranking ministries, such as the Home Affairs, Finance, Defense, and External Affairs. Or, at the very least, ministries that have a significant influence, such as agriculture, roads, and railways.
Therefore, it would appear that the JD(U) and the TDP, the make-or-break partners, weren’t given as major ministries as they might have liked, given their strength and support for the coalition that is in power.
According to the distribution, the BJP has managed to maintain control over the most significant ministries while also providing its allies with several important ministries that are not among the top-tier ministries.
This may lead to a certain amount of discontentment on the part of the JD(U) and the TDP regarding ministerial representation at the highest levels of power. If the parties are comfortable with it, they may be making a trade-off. This means they may be willing to give up the maximum ministerial power at the center in exchange for establishing their own state-level presence and bargaining for future gains when they are in a better position.
