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In an indication of what could be the role of alliance partners in the newly sworn in Narendra Modi government, the JD(U), AIADMK and Apna Dal have not been invited to join the Cabinet. Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) members, on the other hand, have got Cabinet berths.
The JD(U), with 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha, decided not to join the Cabinet, apparently irked by the offer of just one post. The party wanted Cabinet berth for senior leader RCP Singh, MoS with independent charge for Munger MP Lalan Singh and an MoS post for another leader, Santosh Singh Kushwaha. But the BJP was ready to give just one post. “We are not joining the government. This is our decision,” Rajya Sabha member Pavan Varma told news agency PTI.
Anupriya Patel’s omission could be because of the factional feud in her party, the Apna Dal. She was an MoS in the Modi 1.0 government. Her party’s support had been crucial to the BJP in both the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The AIADMK, with 13 MPs in the Rajya Sabha and just one in the Lok Sabha (OP Ravindranath Kumar), also did not get a berth in the Cabinet. Reports say there were two voices in the party on who should be assigned as Minister, due to which none got a berth.
The Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant and the SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal have joined the Cabinet.
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