Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term commenced with the allocation of Cabinet portfolios, emphasizing both continuity and coalition representation.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started his third term with a Cabinet of 71 ministers, reflecting both stability and strategic alliances. The government retained major portfolios for key ministers from the previous administration while also inducting new faces to honor coalition commitments.
Key Takeaways:
- Unchanged Key Ministries:
- Rajnath Singh: Defence
- Amit Shah: Home
- Nirmala Sitharaman: Finance
- S Jaishankar: External Affairs
- New Appointments:
- JP Nadda: Health
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Agriculture
- Manohar Lal Khattar: Housing and Urban Affairs, Power
- Portfolio Changes:
- Mansukh Mandaviya: Labour and Employment, Youth Affairs and Sports
- Pralhad Joshi: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, New and Renewable Energy
- Jyotiraditya Scindia: Communications, Development of North Eastern Region
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Culture, Tourism
- Kiren Rijiju: Parliamentary Affairs, Minority Affairs
- Prime Minister’s Portfolios:
- Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
- Department of Atomic Energy
- Department of Space
- Unallocated Portfolios
- Retained Positions:
- Nitin Gadkari: Road Transport and Highways
- Sarbananda Sonowal: Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- Bhupendra Yadav: Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Virendra Kumar: Social Justice and Empowerment
- Ashwini Vaishnaw: Railways, Electronics and Information Technology, Information and Broadcasting
- Other Notable Ministers:
- Piyush Goyal: Commerce and Industry
- Dharmendra Pradhan: Education
- Hardeep Singh Puri: Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Coalition Partners:
- Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP): Civil Aviation
- Chirag Paswan (LJP): Food Processing Industries
- HD Kumaraswamy (JD-S): Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Steel
- Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM): Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) (JDU): Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
- Jayant Chaudhary: Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- First-time MPs:
- Suresh Gopi: MoS Petroleum and Natural Gas, MoS Tourism
- Ravneet Singh Bittu: MoS Food Processing Industries, MoS Railways
Political Reactions: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah criticized the BJP for retaining significant portfolios, leaving only lesser positions for its allies. He suggested that NDA partners received minimal influence in the new Cabinet despite their demands.
Prime Minister Modi’s Cabinet reflects a blend of experienced leaders and fresh faces, balancing continuity with strategic coalition management.
