No new member from allies, Cabinet reshuffle an all-BJP affair

New Delhi: The third reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet on Sunday turned out to be an entirely BJP affair as its allies were not invited to be a part of the exercise.

It was expected that its new partner, the JD(U), would get representation in the central government, but it turned otherwise.

JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi said his party was not invited to join the government.

The Shiv Sena too was unhappy with its non-inclusion in the Cabinet, stating that the NDA was "almost dead" and that BJP remembered it only when it needed some support.

Though a long-time ally of the BJP, the Sena has often been at loggerheads with the senior partner. Its lone member in the Union Council of Ministers is Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete.

Sources in the BJP said that members of their alliance might join the government later as there was still a scope for expansion of the Union Council of Ministers.

They, however, added that a decision on the allies joining the government would be taken later.