It had become increasingly clear that too many of Mr Modi's ministers were expected to juggle expansive and mismatched responsibilities. In some cases, as with Piyush Goyal's coal and power ministry, the extra portfolios did affect one another closely, and a single eye on both could theoretically reduce inter-ministerial wrangling. But in the case of, say, Arun Jaitley, it had become clear that keeping both finance and defence under one man for more than five months was not desirable. As the preparations for February's Union Budget begin to be scaled up, a full-time finance minister was definitely needed. Equally undesirable was the minister for road transport, highways and shipping, Nitin Gadkari, looking after as additional charge the ministries for rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation. With an expanded council of ministers, problems arising out of such mismatched responsibilities are likely to be resolved.
There are, however, other things that are worth noting about this expansion. The first is that Mr Modi does indeed believe in ensuring regional and political balance in his ministries. West Bengal, for example, hitherto without a minister, received representation in the form of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Babul Supriyo. Regional considerations and local factors will also have played into the decision to give Birender Singh of Haryana a Cabinet post - given the unexpected nature of the choice of Haryana chief minister after the BJP won a majority there. The induction of several parliamentarians from Bihar, such as Giriraj Singh and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, means it has the second largest representation of any state in the council of ministers. This will not be unconnected to the fact that a big Assembly election is due in that state, where the BJP and its ally, the Lok Janshakti Party, will likely face a unified front of the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United). Political considerations and regional balance will clearly continue to score over notions of "merit". It is worth noting that Mr Singh, for example, comes into the council with a chequered past - he said in the general election campaign, that Mr Modi's opponents should "go to Pakistan". And one other new Cabinet minister is J P Nadda - a series of reports in this newspaper has revealed how he pressured the Union health ministry into removing a whistle-blower and stopping all corruption investigations at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
However, there is much to be pleased about, too. For one, this is less a one-man government than it was. In addition, several individuals with business experience have been brought in. Suresh Prabhu, a chartered accountant, once headed a bank. Jayant Sinha, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, was a consultant. And Y S Chowdary of the Telugu Desam runs a group of companies, even though his personal wealth and the financial state of his companies may raise some questions. In the end, however, serious questions about coalition management will also have to be asked. Mr Prabhu left the Shiv Sena in order to be sworn in. Mr Desai did not turn up. Clearly, Mr Modi is showing alliance partners who is the boss when it comes to ministerial choice. This is a high-risk strategy, and indicates the direction that the National Democratic Alliance's future approach towards alliance partners may take.