Prime Minister Narendra Modi has revealed his coalition cabinet after assuming office for a third term on June 9. Despite falling short of a majority, key BJP ministers have retained their positions. Amit Shah continues as Home Affairs Minister, Rajnath Singh as Defence Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as External Affairs Minister, and Nirmala Sitharaman as Finance Minister.
Narendra Modi’s BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured 293 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha, forming a coalition government with regional allies such as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)]. The TDP secured 16 seats, while JD(U) won 12 seats, and their leaders have been given significant roles in the cabinet.
Prominent Cabinet Positions:
- Amit Shah: Home Affairs Minister
- Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister
- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar: External Affairs Minister
- Nirmala Sitharaman: Finance Minister
- Nitin Gadkari: Minister of Road Transport and Highways
- Dharmendra Pradhan: Minister of Education
- Bhupendra Yadav: Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Jagat Prakash Nadda: Minister of Health
- Mansukh Mandaviya: Minister of Labour and Employment
- Ram Nath Thakur (JD(U)): Junior Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister
- Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP): Civil Aviation Minister
Modi commenced his term by signing a farmer welfare scheme that provides cash payments to 93 million farmers, addressing the needs of two-thirds of India’s population reliant on agriculture. The NDA government aims to construct nearly 4 million new homes to ensure future generations, including Millennials and Gen Z, have affordable housing.
Rahul Gandhi, Modi’s chief rival, has been nominated to lead the opposition in parliament after significantly increasing the Congress party’s seats. The new parliamentary session is expected to begin next week, with the election of the speaker.