Ajit Doval, Modi Government’s Security Boss is Indispensable

Ministers come and go, but the one constant in the Modi government is national security adviser Ajit Kumar Doval. Doval was the first appointment in Prime Minister Modi’s first term in May 2014. He was given a five-year extension on June 4, 2019 and cabinet minister’s rank on par with the four ministers in the cabinet committee on security. He is India’s longest-serving NSA. His second five-year term expired on the day the 2024 Lok Sabha results were announced. The delay in a possible third term could be attributed to the formation of the union cabinet. With the union cabinet sworn in, the focus has shifted to the NSA’s office and whether Doval will get a third term as NSA.