The greatest speculation
in the country prior to May 16, 2014 was if the NDA could bag the 272
seats required to form a government without having to depend on allies
and external supporters. Now with BJP having bagged 282 seats by itself
the next big debate is about the cabinet-to-be. Narendra Modi is likely
to be sworn in as India’s PM on May 26, 2014.
Likely faces in NaMo’s Cabinet
Arun Jaitley –
Arun Jaitley lost Amritsar but is likely to gain much more, if the
rumors are to be trusted. Mr. Jaitley is currently an appointed member
of the Rajya Sabha and this should suffice to gain access to the coveted
Finance Minister chair. A lawyer, Mr. Jaitley has been a strong critic
of the INC’s economic policies.
Murli Manohar Joshi – Veteran
educationalist, Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi had previously held the Human
Resource Development portfolio in Vajpayee’s government. He may well be
invited to handle the education
department as Minister for Education
given his indomitable knowledge and vast experience in education sector.
Alternatively, he may be asked to handle the Science and Technology
portfolio which he held between 1999 and 2004.
L K Advani – As
matters stand right now it looks highly unlikely that party veterans
such as L K Advani will accede to joining NaMo’s cabinet. If he does,
however, he shall be the best possible choice to head the Ministry of
Home Affairs, a portfolio he had held between 1998 and 2004 when
Vajpayee had led the government. Mr. Advani’s experience, wisdom, and
political acumen are certainly treasure troves that NaMo could benefit
from.
Sushma Swaraj –
This fiery lawyer, MP from Vidisha in MP is one of the most prominent
faces of the party. Though a great candidate for the Ministry for
External Affairs, Ms. Swaraj may have antagonized NaMo by according
preponderance to the party rather than the PM-to-be.
Rajnath Singh – The
BJP President may well eye a key portfolio in the NaMo government. With
“bullet train” plans in the pipeline Mr. Singh is a likely choice as
the head of the Railway Ministry. Alternatively, Mr. Singh could be
named Deputy Prime Minister – a position held by L K Advani in the
Vajpayee government.
Nitin Gadkari – While
Nitin Gadkari is currently in the news for the Arvind Kejriwal
defamation case, his previous experience as the Public Works Department
Minister in Maharashta puts him in good stead to claim Commerce and
Industry, or a Civil Aviation and Road Transport, Highways combined
portfolio.
Meenakshi Lekhi – The
New Delhi Member of Parliament is a dynamic young woman. An upcoming
politician, Ms. Lekhi is the ideal candidate for the Minister for
Information & Broadcasting slot. Her camera-friendly profile and
media-savvy demeanor are certainly advantageous.
Ravi Shankar Prasad –
Ravi Shankar Prasad, the deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
is also a well-known senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India. Mr.
Prasad has previously been the Minister of State (Coal and Mines), the
Minister of State (Law and Justice), and the Minister of Information and
Broadcasting in the Vajpayee government. Mr. Prasad is a key contender
for head chair at the Law Ministry.
Gen V K Singh – The
retired General is a popular choice for Minister of Defense position.
General Singh retired as Army Chief last year. With NaMo’s ascendency
already casting a shadow over the 7th Pay Commission, this is the best
option for NaMo to keep the defense forces happy.
Arun Shourie – Mr.
Shourie held the Telecom and Disinvestment portfolios in the previous
BJP government and is the second choice for the Finance Minister role in
case Mr. Jaitley’s Amritsar debacle counts against him. Mr. Shourie was
an economist with the World Bank and has been the recipient of the 1982
Ramon Magsaysay Award. He has also been an eminent journalist for many
years.
Subramanian Swamy – This
very learned economist came to be known as the first Opposition Party
member to be given a Cabinet rank by a ruling party during the tenure of
PV Narasimha Rao. Dr. Swamy, previously a Minister for Commerce and
Industry is the ideal candidate to head the Ministry of Human Resource
Development.
Amit Shah –
Popularly known as Narendra Modi’s Man Friday, Amit Shah is a likely
contender for the Vadodara seat if NaMo were to retain Varanasi. Mr.
Shah was the Minister of State for Home Affairs in Gujarat till 2010 and
is likely to gain a key portfolio in NaMo’s cabinet. Which portfolio
shall be his, is a matter of much speculation, though.
Narendra Modi’s
challenge is likely to be one of plenty – with a number of talented
names and experienced politicians in his repertoire vying for key
positions. The underlining factor here is that Narendra Modi would like
to keep his cabinet small and compact allowing for a tight control.
Super Ministry
If recent news reports
are to be believed, NaMo and other BJP leaders are contemplating the
formation of Super Ministries by combining existing portfolios. While
Tourism, Culture, and Civil Aviation could be combined together, Rural
Development and Panchayati Raj could be grouped together and External
Affairs likely to be clubbed with Commerce. Road Transport, Airways, and
Shipping could form one Super Ministry while Electricity, Renewable
Energy, and Petroleum headed by one minister. Tourism, Culture, and
Civil Aviation could be deemed a Super Ministry too. The pros and cons
of fashioning out such Super Ministries are being debated across the
nation – while some believe that this is likely to boost ailing sectors
and renew focus on interrelated areas, others hold that this could only
make the ministries unwieldy making good governance a far-fetched dream.
While on and off some ministers have been asked to handle more than one
portfolio temporarily, the creation of such Super Ministries could make
the competition for the chair at the helm a sharp one. Will this affect
cordial relations between BJP MPs? Will talented people get left out in
the race to the cabinet? Will this usher in a phase of better
governance – achhe din? India will soon know
BJP Cabinet Announced :- Home – Rajnath Singh Finance- Subramanyam Swami Foreign- Arun Jaitley
Defense- Sushma Swaraj Railway- Vainkaiyaa Naidu Urban Development- Nitin Gadkari Agriculture-
Gopinath Munde Rural Development- Ananat Gite Health – Harshwardhan Law- Ravishankar Prasad
Commerce – SS Ahluvalia Telecom- Anant Kumar Coal- Hansraj Ahir Petrolium- Ramvilas Paswan
Heavy Industry- Aanandrao Adsul Aviation- Shahnavaj Hussain Minority- Mukhtaar Abbas Nakvi
Parliamentary Affairs- Sunlmitra Mahajan Women & Child Welfare- Anupriya Patel HRD- BS Yedurappa
Water Resources- Purusoottam Rupala Sports- Kirti Aazad Tourism- Sripad Naik Cultural – Minakshi
Lekhi Information- Jagdambika Pal Corporate Affair- Anurag Thakur Conventional Energy – BC Khanduri
NRI- Rajiv Pratap Rudhi Social Justice- Bandar Dattatray Home MoS- Satyapal Singh Defense- MoS-
VK Singh Agriculture MoS- Raju Shetty Social Justice MoS- Ramdas Aathvale Law MoS- Kirit Somaiyaa
Sports Mos- Rajyawardhan Rathod Speaker- MM Joshi LK Advani – NDA president
