Prime Minister Narendra Modi needed to be checkmated. This is what the voters did precisely in the just concluded Parliamentary elections. Short of a clear majority of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, Modi will now have to depend on his coalition partners TDP and JDU, among others, to push through even simple legislations. Both Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar will demand their pound of flesh for their critical support .
The immediate fall out will be to keep in cold storage controversial but core agenda of the BJP like the uniform civil code (UCC) and implementation of the CAA both of which were high in the party’s list of priority. Aggrarian reforms which were stalled by massive protests will also have to now wait .
So what went wrong for Modi? Voters, including those who normally supported the BJP, apparently did not take kindly to Modi’s divisive politics in course of his campaigning, riding roughshod over his political rivals and crossing limits of decency in his public speeches not expected of a Prime Minister. Nothing proves it more than the battleground state of UP where the BJP’s tally came down to 33 as against 37 of the Samajvadi Party. Bastion of the saffron brigade, UP sent as many as 62 BJP MPs out of total of 80 in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Aversion to Modi’s style of politics also cost the party a number of seats in the Hindi heartland state of Rajasthan and Jharkhand apart from major states like Maharashtra and West Bengal. The only saving grace in the region was Odisha where the BJP did well, both in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly poll which were held simultaneously.
Now that the NDA is all set to form the new Government under Modi, all attention is centred on distribution of portfolios among the constituents. Despite reports of no conditions attached to their joining the NDA government, speculations refuse to die down about Chandrababu Naidu demanding key ministries and Nitish Kumar pushing for a special status for Bihar. This will be Modi’s acid test.
In all likelihood, there will be many new faces in Modi’s Council of Ministers . It remains to be seen, however, if he effects changes in key ministries like finance, defence, home and external affairs. According to political circles, Amit Shah in all likelihood will continue as Home Minister. Even S.Jaishankar may be continued in his present position as External Affairs Minister. Finance Ministry and Defence may, however, get new ministers. Piyush Goyal’s name as new Finance Minister is being speculated in some party circles.
The Prime Minister and his full Council of Ministers are expected to be sworn in at one go. Modi has already made action plan for the first 100 days of the new government. It will be interesting to see the Prime Minister function at the head of a coalition with his own party’s strength whittled down substantially. Given his streak of autocratic functioning, friction may begin sooner than later among partners.
In the first two terms as PM, his all powerful PMO had a vice-like grip in all ministries and departments. It may have to tweak its functioning a little, it is said.
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