The Narendra Modi 3.0 Cabinet has been sworn in and the one very significant takeaway from the event has been how the BJP has accommodated its allies, namely the JD(U), the TDP, and the RLD among others.
However, there’s one ally who has been left out of the new government, finding no representation in the Modi 3.0 sarkar. And that’s the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), headed by Ajit Pawar.
We examine why NCP found no space in the Modi government.
Negotiation over Cabinet post
It has been reported that the NCP turned down BJP’s offer to accommodate Praful Patel as a minister of state with independent charge in the new NDA government.
Patel, the working president of the NCP, argued that since he had already served as a Cabinet minister in the Union government in the past, assuming office as a minister of state with independent charge would be a “demotion” for him.
“There is no confusion or issue between the BJP and the NCP. Last night, we received information that we are going to get an MoS with independent charge (post). But since I have already been a Cabinet minister, I cannot take this position since it would be a demotion. We have informed the BJP leadership and they have already told us to just wait for a few days, they will take remedial measures,” Praful Patel said on Sunday.
“We have conveyed this to the BJP leadership and have been asked to wait for some days till it takes remedial measures,” Patel was quoted as telling reporters before Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister.
As per the power-sharing arrangements, the NCP was offered one post in the Council of Ministers of the NDA government led by PM Modi. BJP leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde called on Patel, who was reportedly upset at the” demotion” in the Union government.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had earlier offered to resign after taking responsibility for BJP’s poor performance in the state, said the Ajit Pawar-led group had wanted a Cabinet berth. “We had offered one berth of minister with independent charge to the NCP but it was insistent that (Rajya Sabha MP) Praful Patel’s name be finalised. Due to his (Patel’s) experience, the NCP believed he could not be made MoS with independent charge,” he said.
“In a coalition government, a formula has to be drawn, which cannot be broken for one party. I can confidently say whenever Cabinet expansion takes place, the (Union) government will consider the NCP. We did try to include NCP right now, but they insisted on Cabinet portfolio,” the senior BJP leader asserted to news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar asserted the NCP “was ready to wait” but wanted a Cabinet berth. He further stated that the NCP was supporting the NDA in the interest of the nation.
NCP’s poor performance at the polls
A member of the Mahayuti alliance in
Maharashtra
, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena,
Ajit Pawar
’s NCP contested four seats at the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. However, of the four, the Ajit Pawar group was able to wrest only one win — Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare emerging victorious from the Raigad seat.
However, Pawar’s NCP had to taste defeat from the Baramati seat, which he made into a prestige battle by pitting his wife, Sunetra Pawar, against
Supriya Sule
, the sitting MP and daughter of Sharad Pawar. Despite all his efforts, Sule won a fourth term by more than 1,50,000 votes.
And it’s not just Baramati. Ajit Pawar failed to win Shirur, the other Lok Sabha seat in Pune district. NCP-SP’s incumbent Amol Kolhe defeated his party’s candidate Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil with a margin of over 1.4 lakh votes.
Maharashtra representation in Modi Sarkar
The state of Maharashtra has a good representation in Modi’s Council of Ministers. Even Fadnavis expressed satisfaction on the state’s representation, saying, “There are some experienced leaders like Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal as well as young candidates like Murlidhar Mohol and Raksha Khadse who have made it to the Modi Cabinet.”
Of all the ministers, five are from Maharashtra, including Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Republican Party of India (A) president Ramdas Athawale and Prataprao Jadhav from the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
While Nitin Gadkari represents Nagpur, Piyush Goyal represents Mumbai-North constituency. Raksha Khadse, daughter-in-law of former BJP leader Eknath Khadse, won from the Raver constituency.
With inputs from agencies
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