Atal Behari Vajpayee ran coalitions during his prime ministership in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Modi on the other hand has always run majority governments, in Gujarat (2001 to 2014) and nationally for the last 10 ten years. The results on June 4 did not go as per the PM’s expectations but he had recovered by the next evening when he addressed his cabinet colleagues.

The Prime Minister is believed to have told them that he would run a coalition government successfully and fully fulfill the ‘coalition dharma’. Those who were with him came away with the feeling that the PM had taken up running a coalition government as a challenge and was determined to prove his skeptics wrong.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new cabinet signals continuity as well as caution. He has retained many of his old and experienced ministerial colleagues to show that the situation is possibly stable—and he is aware of the rumblings from within his party just when he is trying to stabilize a new situation with the allies. The TDP (16 MPs) and the Janata Dal-united (12 MPs) have emerged as key players, and it would be surprising if they were not moving in step. Both of them have long governance experience in the United Front governments and NDA government headed by Vajpayee.

Chandrababu Naidu has always been a sober player and is looking for a financial package for his state and its capital Amaravati. Yet— and this is curious—he has agreed to only one cabinet ministerial berth and one minister of state (MOS) position despite having 16 MPs—the same number given to Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) despite having 16 MPs—the same number given to Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) despite its fewer (12) MPs. The question that remains is if Naidu is still pushing for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s position or he will be satisfied with a financial bonanza for the state.

The Speaker is a crucial position in a coalition government. As a senior journalist summed it up, “Jaisa Speaker, Uski Sarkar (the party that gets the Speaker’s post, holds the government’s fante in its hand).” It would be tempting for a ruling party without a majority to break smaller parties to get a majority. P V Narasimha Rao who also won 240 seats in 1991 went on to acquire a majority two years later by splitting smaller parties. For the moment, the JD(U) will also want to consolidate its gains in Delhi and Patna and get ready to face a resurgent RJD in the Bihar Assembly elections next year.

In the last few days, the PM appeared to have shifted gear, striking conciliatory notes. He made it clear that the government was not a Modi or a BJP government but an NDA government. Rajnath Singh proposed Modi’s name as the leader of the NDA parliamentary party (and therefore the PM-designate), the BJP Parliamentary party, and leader of Lok Sabha – all together in one go—and was seconded by Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari. In the past, the election of the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party used to precede the election of the leader of the NDA. (IPA Service)