Modi 3.0 Cabinet Reshuffle Expected Soon, OBC And Women To Get Priority

New Delhi: The first cabinet reshuffle of Modi 3.0 is expected any time now. Reports say the decisions have already been made behind closed doors. Who gets in, who gets dropped, who gets promoted and who simply gets a new portfolio, all of it is reportedly settled. The only question left is the date.

When could it happen?

The political calendar gives a few clues. The President will be in Andhra Pradesh on June 30 and July 1. Japan's Prime Minister is visiting India from July 1 to 3. Modi has a Rajasthan visit on July 4. From July 6 to July 11 Modi heads on a six-day tour covering Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. Parliament's monsoon session is expected to begin around July 20. That leaves a window between July 11 and July 20 as the most likely slot for the reshuffle. This is not without precedent. In 2021 the cabinet was reshuffled on July 7, just days before the monsoon session began on July 14. Big names like Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar were dropped that time.

Which seats are already vacant?

Several positions have already opened up. Pankaj Chaudhary was a Minister of State for Finance. He has now become UP BJP president. Under the one person one post policy his ministerial chair is likely to fall vacant so he can focus entirely on the 2027 UP assembly elections. Ravneet Singh Bittu was Railway Minister of State. His Rajya Sabha term ended on June 21 and he was not given a new seat. The signal is that he may be sent back to Punjab to focus on the state elections. Harsh Malhotra was Minister of State for Cooperation but was made Delhi BJP president in May. His ministerial post is expected to be vacated under the same one person one post principle. George Kurian, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, resigned on June 23. That is another seat sitting empty.

What the new cabinet will look like?

Reports say OBC representation and women's inclusion will be the two biggest factors driving new appointments. The UP BJP organisational reshuffle is being seen as a template. There 47 percent of posts went to OBCs, 13 percent to SC and ST communities and 20 percent to women. A similar formula is expected at the national level. Ministers approaching 75 years of age may be shown the door to make way for younger faces. The seven states going to polls next year, UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, will also influence the social engineering calculus of who gets a cabinet berth.

Modi reviews governance with secretaries?

On Tuesday, Modi called a meeting of secretaries from all central ministries and departments. The agenda focused on Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business reforms. Several secretaries gave presentations on their ministry's progress. Sources say Modi reviewed next-generation reforms and asked officials to ensure no people-centric schemes have pending work. He stressed governance and service delivery as priorities going forward.