Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is appointing some of its senior Members of Parliament (MPs) as chairpersons of parliamentary committees if they cannot be accommodated in the new cabinet, a report by ET revealed. After managing to secure only 240 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the PM Modi-led party now faces the necessity of sharing cabinet positions with its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Notably, the Parliament comprises 24 standing committees, with 16 falling under the purview of the Lok Sabha and eight under the Rajya Sabha.
Following this, the BJP’s state in-charge reportedly instructed state party units to prepare a list of senior leaders who could potentially serve as chairpersons of parliamentary committees. Each state is required to submit two to three names for consideration, from which the party will make selections once the parliamentary session commences. The party is aware that the number of ministers from the BJP is likely to be fewer compared to previous cabinet formations in 2019 and 2022.
NDA allies in states like Maharashtra and Bihar, where the BJP could not perform well, are particularly keen on securing some major cabinet positions. Notably, BJP has no other option than to agree to their terms, in order to get their support to secure a majority. Reports have also indicated that a similar arrangement was being anticipated by NDA allies, with some of their MPs being considered for chairing parliamentary committees.
