BJP Falls Short Of Majority As Chandrababu Naidu And Nitish Kumar Dictate Terms

With the BJP falling short of a majority in the Lok Sabha, allies within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have begun bargaining for significant ministries at the Centre. Coalition-era veterans like N Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are reportedly making demands during the NDA meeting held yesterday. Although no official word has been released, it is understood that intense negotiations are underway.

Speculations suggest that Mr. Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which secured 16 Lok Sabha seats and swept the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls, is pushing for five ministerial positions, including a Minister of State for Finance and the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post. The TDP is also eyeing portfolios such as Roads, Panchayati Raj, Health, and Education.

The Janata Dal United (JDU), with 12 MPs in the Lok Sabha, is expected to seek two Cabinet positions and one Minister of State role. The Railways Ministry is a key target, according to party sources. Additionally, the JDU is advocating for a Common Minimum Programme for the new NDA government and a coordination committee to ensure its implementation. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, the late George Fernandes served as the convener of this committee. Sources suggest Nitish Kumar is a suitable candidate for this role now.

The Janata Dal Secular (JDS), which won two seats, is likely to push for a central ministerial role for its leader and MP HD Kumaraswamy. The party, led by HD Devegowda, is positioning itself as a farmers’ party and is eyeing the Agriculture Ministry.

Other NDA allies the BJP may need to accommodate include the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which won seven seats in Maharashtra, and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which secured five seats. It remains uncertain if actor-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena, with its two seats, will seek any central role. In previous Narendra Modi governments, Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal (Sonelal) received ministerial positions. However, her party’s tally has decreased from two seats in 2019 to one, leaving her ministerial future in question.

The BJP has secured 240 seats, falling 32 seats short of the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha. Combined, TDP and JDU hold 28 seats, and with other allies, the NDA will surpass the magic number.

Conversely, the INDIA Opposition bloc has clinched 232 seats. Top leaders of the bloc met in Delhi yesterday to strategize their next steps.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The constituents of the INDIA bloc thank the people of India for the overwhelming support received by our alliance. The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate and corruption. This is a mandate in defense of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment, and crony capitalism and also to save democracy. The INDIA bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi.”

Kharge added, “We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realize the people’s desire not to be ruled by BJP’s government. This is our decision, and we altogether agreed on these points, and we will keep up with the promises we have made to the people.”

As the political landscape evolves, the coming days will reveal the final shape of the new government and the ministerial roles each party secures.