Referring to the allocation of portfolios to the ministers of the new Modi-led NDA government, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its editorial on June 11, points out that the BJP has retained critical portfolios like Home, Defence, Finance and External Affairs. for its leaders, handing their charge to Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, respectively, who had handled the same in the previous Modi ministry too. “On the face of it, Modi’s new Cabinet does not reflect any major change from his previous ministry. But the question is, has nothing really changed in the new BJP dispensation?” asks the edit.

With the Modi government now depending critically on its key allies like the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) for its survival after the Lok Sabha poll results saw the BJP with 240 seats falling short of the simple majority mark of 272, the daily says it would be difficult for the Modi dispensation to work “unilaterally” like its previous two regimes over the last decade. “Chandrababu’s son Nara Lokesh Naidu has indicated that it is an NDA government whose decisions will be taken in light of mutual consultations. For instance, with regard to the provision of reservation for backward Muslims in Andhra Pradesh, he has made it clear that the TDP favors it,” the editorial says, stating that the BJP would especially find it difficult to push through its administrative and legislative agenda. on contentious issues like the Muslim quota, Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), given the visible presence of its NDA allies and the emergence of a strong Opposition INDIA alliance, which has significant numbers in Parliament now. Meanwhile, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has even claimed that the NDA government would not last long, the edit notes. It was being claimed before the polls that radical measures would be rolled out soon after the formation of the new Modi government. The possibility of such moves has faded significantly.”

Underlining that Nitish is the country’s first CM who wrapped up a caste survey in his state Bihar, the editorial says the BJP will now have to deal with his pitch for a national caste census. In Maharashtra, bound for the Assembly polls later this year, there are rumblings within the NDA in the face of a resurgent Opposition. It is to be seen how PM Modi in his third term navigates the challenges of running a coalition government, the edit adds.

ROZNAMA RASHTRIYA SAHARA

Analyzing the Lok Sabha election results, the multi-edition Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, in its leader on June 8, writes that in these polls several regional parties put up an impressive performance, which include the SP, TMC, DMK, TDP and Shiv Sena ( UBT), while some others, such as the BJD, BSP, BRS, YSRCP, NCP led by Ajit Pawar and AIADMK virtually disappeared from the national scene. “The battle for the 18th Lok Sabha elections was essentially between two alliances – the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA bloc. The parties affiliated to either of these two coalitions got seats. And those which took an ‘akele chalo’ (go solo) stance were punished by the voters, with some of them even failing to open their accounts,” the daily states.

“Some of the regional parties were routed despite being in power while some other decimated players had been at the helm previously. The question that would haunt them is, did they suffer debacle for being a fence-sitter or their non-aligned position or something else. Its answer would have a crucial bearing on their future,” it says.

The editorial points out that barring the first two terms of the Modi government, the coalition politics has been ruling the roost in the country since the 1990s due to the inability of any party to secure a majority on its own. Most of the parties who did not hitch onto the bandwagon of either the NDA or the INDIA grouping paid a price in the 2024 polls, ranging from the BJD in Odisha and the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh to the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and the BRS in Telangana. , the edit notes. In Maharashtra, reeling from electoral setbacks, the factions of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP are now concerned about the possibility of their unravelling, it says. “The poll results have heralded the return of the coalition era, making its advantages clear to the parties while also laying bare the pitfalls of going solo.”

SIASAT

Highlighting the resolution passed by the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) asking Rahul Gandhi to take up the post of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on June 9, says that Rahul is now likely to assume this charge. “Rahul has emerged as a popular leader in recent years, who has played a key role in propelling the Congress’s rise in the recent Lok Sabha polls. His leadership proved to be instrumental in ensuring that the BJP stalled way off the magic number of a majority,” the editorial says. For many, Rahul has risen as a “symbol of relentless struggle” against the BJP dispensation, it states.

“Rahul understands people’s problems well. He also has the skills to corner the government on such issues. He is the right choice for the position of the LoP,” the daily says, adding that he is expected to “do justice to this crucial responsibility”. “If Rahul assumes the mantle of the LoP, it would mark a positive development in the country’s politics as he would leave no stone unturned to make the government accountable on vital public issues.”