Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Monday. This comes amid the buzz about a likely Cabinet reshuffle after a series of meetings of the ruling BJP's top brass. The Monday meeting is expected to be held at the newly built convention centre at Pragati Maidan in the national capital. The last time there was a cabinet rejig in 2021, 43 ministers took the oath. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan, and Prakash Javedkar were dropped in the last reshuffle while Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju, and Purushottam Rupala were promoted.
NCP Leader Praful Patel, Devendra Fadnavis Could Get Cabinet Berth
Following the political upheaval in Maharashtra on Sunday, where NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government along with several of his party legislators and a number of closed-door meetings involving the BJP's think tank, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, have fueled the speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards.
Senior NCP MP and former Union minister Praful Patel, who ditched his longtime mentor Sharad Pawar to join hands with his nephew, is being seen as a probable contender among the likely new ministers in the central government, sources said.
According to PTI, with Ajit Pawar taking oath as deputy chief minister in Maharashtra, there is also speculation about Devendra Fadnavis, also a deputy chief minister and the key BJP leader in the state, being inducted into the central government. The allies will be given representation in the Cabinet whenever PM Modi decides to go in for a rejig in his Council of Ministers, PTI reported citing BJP sources. The period before Parliament's Monsoon Session, which begins from July 20, could be the last window for such an exercise.
The BJP's organisation, including in some states, may also see some changes as its top brass makes its choices for key positions with the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls intensifying, PTI reported citing sources. PM Modi held a meeting with Shah and Nadda on June 28. This came after closed-door meetings involving Shah and Nadda, among others, to take stock of organisational and political affairs. Any Cabinet rejig will factor in the upcoming assembly polls as well.
Trouble Likely Of Gujarat Quota Ministers
As per the pattern so far, after the expansion, the leaders of the states where elections are to be held, get preference, while the ministers of the election-held states are cut off. Gujarat and UP got special attention in the last expansion because of the elections in the two states.
In such a possible reshuffle, it is believed that some ministers of the Gujarat quota may be removed. At present Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Darshana Jardosh, Devusingh Chauhan and Mahendra Munjpara are ministers.
If Gujarat quota ministers are retrenched, then Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala and Darshana Jardosh are at greater risk. Notably, in the last nine years, the Modi cabinet has had three health ministers.
Discussion On Sending Goyal, Pradhan To Organisation
There are chances that Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan may also be removed from the cabinet. Giyal may be given the charge of Rajasthan BJP. Notably, he has visited Rajasthan thrice in the last 15 days.
On the other hand, if Dharmendra Pradhan is discharged from the cabinet, then he can be made in-charge of UP BJP. The charge of UP is currently with Radha Mohan Singh.
Before the 2019 elections, JP Nadda was made in-charge of Uttar Pradesh. At that time Nadda was removed from the cabinet and given the command of UP. After the 2019 elections, he was promoted in the organisation.
Bihar, UP Ministers May Also Be Removed
The ministers from Bihar and UP may also be dropped in the Modi cabinet reshuffle. There are 20 ministers from Bihar and UP in the Union Cabinet. The seats of Ashwini Choubey, Pashupati Paras and RK Singh from Bihar are in danger.
The ministerial berths of Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ajay Mishra Teni from Uttar Pradesh are also in danger. If Pandey and Teni are removed, then Laxmikant Vajpayee or Harish Dwivedi can get a place in the cabinet from to appease Brahmins. Both Vajpayee and Dwivedi are currently working in BJP.
Chances are that Chirag Paswan from Bihar may enter the cabinet, while one of BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal, Ajay Nishad and Ram Kripal Yadav can be made ministers.
Maharashtra, Karnataka Quota Ministers Also In Trouble
There are currently eight ministers from Maharashtra in the Modi cabinet. Among these, the names of Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Narayan Rane and Ramdas Athawale are prominent. Shinde faction from Maharashtra has proposed to include three ministers in the cabinet. If this proposal is accepted, then BJP may exclude some ministers from its quota.
From Karnataka, six ministers have been included in the Modi cabinet. Among these, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi are two big names. The discussion of Union Minister Shobha Karandjale becoming the state president is in full swing.
One minister is likely to be made from Telangana and two from Tamil Nadu. A ministerial berth may be given to ally AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. In the race to become a minister from Telangana, the names of Soyam Bapu Rao and Dharmapuri Arvind are at the forefront.
Focus On MP, Rajasthan And Chhattisgarh
The BJP has been making hectic preparations for several state polls scheduled this year, with the Congress showing some bounce following its big win in Karnataka. Elections are due in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram later this year, and the Congress will be the BJP's main challenger in the first three states.
BJP has 62 MPs from MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. In such a situation, it is believed that Madhya Pradesh may get 3, Chhattisgarh 2 and Rajasthan 2 more ministerial posts in the upcoming expansion. Talking about the names, Sumer Solanki, Rakesh Singh and Reeti Pathak from Madhya Pradesh are at the forefront of the race.
How Many Ministers Can Be There In Modi Cabinet?
According to the rule, a total of 81 ministers can be made in the central government including the Prime Minister. Currently, 78 ministers are included in the cabinet and only 3 posts are vacant. Last time, 12 ministers had resigned in the cabinet expansion. 36 new ministers were sworn in at that time, while 7 ministers were promoted.