(New Delhi) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the composition of his coalition government on Monday after his mixed victory which caused his Hindu nationalist party to lose the absolute majority.
In addition to Mr. Modi, all 71 members of his government were sworn in on Sunday. Eleven positions were allocated to the prime minister’s allies who obtained them in exchange for their support, including five among the 30 most important positions in the cabinet.
The old guard of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominates the list, with key positions unchanged.
This includes BJP figures Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and S. Jaishankar – ministers of Defence, Home, Transport, Finance and Foreign Affairs respectively, who retain their posts.
Powerful BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda has been appointed health minister.
Portfolios allocated to leaders of other coalition members include civil aviation assigned to Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the BJP’s biggest ally, as well as other smaller ministries like those of the Heavy industry, food processing and fishing.
There is no Muslim minister in the third Modi government, unlike the previous two, formed after the victory of the BJP which won an absolute majority.
The prime minister has cultivated the image of a champion of the Hindu faith, the country’s majority, worrying minorities, notably the country’s Muslim community, which numbers more than 200 million people.
“Honoured to serve Bharat,” Mr Modi wrote after taking the oath, using the country’s name in Sanskrit, a word that dates back to ancient Hindu scriptures.
He held his first cabinet meeting on Monday evening, where plans to help create 30 million new homes for poor families were approved.
Mr. Modi had been forced into rapid negotiations with coalition partners the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), whose 293 seats guaranteed him the number of parliamentarians needed to govern.
