New Delhi: According to sources, Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will secure four ministerial positions in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new cabinet, while Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) (JDU) will receive two. Potential TDP appointees include Ram Mohan Naidu, Harish Balayogi, and Daggubati Prasad.
The allocation of cabinet berths was decided during a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting in preparation for the government’s swearing-in ceremony.
Sources indicate that TDP requested four ministerial positions and the parliamentary speaker role after winning 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. The JDU sought two cabinet positions after securing 12 seats.
With the BJP winning 240 seats, short of the 272 needed for a majority, the roles of Kumar and Naidu have been pivotal. The NDA secured 293 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, allowing PM Modi to take office for a third term.
In related developments, there were speculations about Nitish Kumar reuniting with the INDIA bloc after the BJP’s failure to achieve a majority. However, sources close to Kumar have dismissed this, noting ongoing discussions about ministerial allocations with the BJP.
