Modi 3.0 cabinet: BJP train rolls on, with berths for allies

NEW DELHI: The latest exercise of ministry-making, like all its previous editions, had its share of surprise inclusions and exclusions, though on closer examination, some of those did not seem to be as puzzling as they initially seemed.
Take the case of Jagat Prakash Nadda. Though he was sure to be suitably accommodated after the end of his extended tenure as BJP chief later this month, few had sensed his return to the cabinet on Sunday.
The "surprise", however, did help dissipate the "mystery" about the exclusion of outgoing I&B minister Anurag Singh Thakur who scored his fifth consecutive victory from Hamirpur, the logic being that the tiny state of Himachal Pradesh, with four Lok Sabha seats, cannot be assigned two important cabinet berths.
Ditto for JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha. Easily the most trusted of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's lieutenants at this time, he, along with his friends in BJP, was instrumental in the rapprochement with the saffron party - an endeavour for which he was once publicly heckled. He was seen as a shoo-in. But the surprise factor wears thin in the light of the "one cabinet, one MoS" cap BJP insisted on in the case of TDP and JD(U). This helped Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', who is senior in JD(U) and whose ties with Nitish remain strong despite their rollercoaster pattern.
Ravishankar Prasad's failure to return to the cabinet also engaged the attention of many. In his case, there were no ready answers available. Although he was dropped midway through the last term, he would be consistently fielded by the party as spokesperson on important issues and during high-intensity skirmishes. He was also given a ticket in defiance of intense lobbying. The compulsion to take along the allies, whose support will be crucial in next year's state polls, can be the only possible explanation for the omission.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was also dropped midway through the last tenure, has failed to make a return despite succeeding yet against against the formidable Lalu Prasad clan in Saran - something which became a topic of discussion because, after the defeat of power minister R K Singh, as well as a few others in the neighbouring region of UP, there were not too many strong claimants from the Rajput community.
George Kurian, only the second person after Ravneet Singh Bittu to have been brought in despite not being a member of either of the two Houses, looks like a wild card entry. But when seen along with the success of, and reward for, Suresh Gopi, the party's maiden winner in Kerala, the choice may not look that intriguing. Gopi's success was facilitated by significant support from the Christian community and the party could be hoping to expand the opening with Kurian.
Bittu's inclusion and the retention of Hardeep Singh Puri also appears to be an extension of the PM's reachout to Sikhs and his decision not to abandon the bridge building effort despite rebuffs.
Choice of Harsh Malhotra, the winner from East Delhi, came at the cost of Manoj Tiwari. The winner from North-East Delhi for the third straight time had appeared to be a certainty, considering that he was the only one from among the winners of the last time who had been retained in the Capital.
Contrary to the widely held estimate, BJP's media cell head and the winner from Garhwal, Anil Baluni, who enjoys the goodwill of the leadership, also could not make it.