NEW DELHI: The death of LJP leader and Minister of Consumer Affairs and Food, Ram Vilas Paswan, has made the Union Cabinet a majority BJP affair. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) still has more than a dozen constituents, Ramdas Athawale The Republican Party of India (RPI) is now the only non-BJP representative in the Council of Ministers.
While Shiv Sena had removed his representative Arvind Savant following bitter dispute with BJP last year over power sharing in Maharashtra, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the government citing differences over newly enacted farm laws.
Speculation about a possible expansion of the Union Cabinet has been rife for some time, with the addition of congressional rebel Jyotiraditya Scindia adding fuel to the rumor. However, with the BJP leadership concerned about the Bihar polls, it may have to wait until mid-November.
Among the remaining NDA allies, JD (U) is the largest constituent after BJP, but has stayed out of government for reasons that have remained shrouded in secrecy. The issue of LJP joining the Union ministry has become uncertain as the party has renounced the alliance in Bihar and is contesting the polls alone.
Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel, who was a junior minister for five years in the first government, did not join in 2019. Sources said she wanted to rise to the rank of Cabinet, which was not accepted by the BJP leadership.
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