Modi Cabinet Reshuffle: Dharmendra Pradhan, Others May Be Dropped; Seven Leaders in Race

New Delhi: Speculations about a large-scale cabinet reshuffle in the central government have intensified. There is talk in political circles that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may make changes in his team before the monsoon session of Parliament. Although no official announcement has been made by the government yet, the ongoing activities at both the BJP organization and government levels have given further fuel to these discussions.

According to sources, this time the responsibilities of some ministers may be changed, some may be sent to the organisation and many new faces may be included in the government. Due to recent developments, it is also believed that the purpose of the reshuffle may be keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections and organizational balance.

Names of which ministers are in discussion?

According to sources, the name of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is included among those leaders whose departments are being speculated about for change or exit from the government. Apart from this, there is talk of removal of Pankaj Chaudhary and Harsh Malhotra from the government under the principle of 'one person, one post' after getting important responsibilities in the party organization. At the same time, after the end of the tenure of Rajya Sabha, George Kurien has already resigned from the Council of Ministers.

There is talk in political circles that the names of Ravneet Singh Bittu and Hardeep Singh Puri may be included in the possible cabinet reshuffle. However, neither the government nor the BJP has officially confirmed any of these names. According to sources, B.L. Verma's Rajya Sabha tenure is going to end in November, due to which there is speculation about his ministerial post. Apart from this, the possibility of reshuffle in the ministries of Manohar Lal Khattar and Nirmala Sitharaman is also being expressed. It is also being claimed in media reports that there can be changes in the portfolios of about six state ministers.

Which leaders can enter?

There is talk that some new MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal may get a place in the Council of Ministers. Keeping in view the political equations, some allies and leaders of BJP organization are also likely to be included in the government. Apart from this, cabinet expansion is also being linked with the organizational change of the party. There is a possibility that BJP MP Arun Govil, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Sanjay Dina Patil, VD Sharma, Tarun Chugh and Raghav Chadha may get a place in the cabinet.

Why did the discussion about reshuffle intensify?

Speculations about cabinet expansion were further strengthened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later Union Home Minister Amit Shah met President Draupadi Murmu last week. Officially these meetings were described as courtesy calls, but in political circles it is being linked to a possible cabinet reshuffle. Along with this, preparations are also going on to announce the new organizational structure of BJP, due to which the possibility of simultaneous change in both the government and the organization is being expressed.

What has the government said?

Till now, the central government or the BJP leadership has not issued any official statement regarding the possible reshuffle. Therefore, at present only speculations are being made on which ministers will be removed, who will get new responsibility and who will join the government. Political analysts believe that the final decision will be taken at the level of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the situation will be completely clear only after its official information comes.