By Avinish Mishra
Ahead of the next year’s general elections, a reshuffle in the Modi cabinet is very likely and can be released soon which is anticipated since after the 4-hour-long meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda on June 29 and PM’s residence. Speculation is on the rise over the possible cabinet expansion in which several new faces are expected to be inducted, some will be removed and several will be given new responsibilities.
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.
Prime Minister Modi has called a cabinet meeting on July 3rd. Political corridors are abuzz that the oath-taking of the new ministers might be done anytime soon.
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
As elections are due in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh later this year, there is a possibility of Modi cabinet inducting more faces from here. Presently, there are 10 ministers from all three states in the cabinet.
BJP has 62 MPs from these three states of the Hindi belt. 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.
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