N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JDU are poised to secure at least one cabinet position and one Minister of State role each in the upcoming third Narendra Modi administration, as NDA leaders deliberate on the composition of the Modi 3.0 cabinet.
After an extensive 11-hour session at the Prime Minister’s residence yesterday, decisions regarding the new cabinet were finalized. The meeting was attended by Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, and the party’s national general secretary (organisation), BL Santhosh.
Sources indicate that Prime Minister Modi will be sworn in at 7:15 pm today. Before the ceremony, he will host a tea gathering at his residence for the prospective ministers.
According to sources, Outgoing Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari are expected to maintain their current portfolios.
Additionally, it is anticipated that other allies, including Chirag Paswan of LJP, HD Kumaraswamy of JDS, Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal (Sonelal), Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, and Jitan Ram Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha, will secure ministerial positions. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena may be represented by Buldhana MP Prataprao Jadhav.
West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Madhya Pradesh leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia are also likely to be appointed ministers, as per the sources. Furthermore, BJP leaders from the Northeast, Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju, may return as ministers, along with some other potential candidates.
Despite two consecutive terms with an absolute majority, the BJP fell short of the magic figure this time, securing 240 seats. This has elevated Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar to the role of kingmakers. Both are seasoned veterans in coalition politics and adept at negotiating, and the BJP’s reduced tally has strengthened their bargaining power.
However, BJP sources previously informed NDTV that they would not relinquish control of the four pivotal portfolios in the Cabinet Committee on Security—Home, Defence, Finance, and External Affairs. Moreover, Nitin Gadkari, the driving force behind the significant expansion of road connectivity during Modi 1.0 and Modi 2.0, is likely to maintain his position.
TDP, securing 16 seats, and JDU, with 12 seats, are reported to have requested significant central roles. The unveiling of Prime Minister Modi’s new team will reveal whether these demands have been met.
From JDU, it is speculated that former party chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Nath Thakur, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, may secure ministerial positions.
TDP MPs Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu are set to become ministers in Modi 3.0, as announced by party leader Jay Galla on X.