The expected rejig in the Narendra Modi Cabinet may see the Prime Minister move some of the bigwigs like Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupendra Yadav to the party organisation to do the nuts and bolt strategy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
The Council of Ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its head is to meet on Monday. The impending reshuffle this week may include members from the current allies as also those “re-joining” the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which, incidentally, is completing 25-years of its existence. The NDA was formed in 1998. The Prime Minister is also holding meetings with the State leaders as the rejig in the Cabinet may include members from the States going to polls later this year like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
States like Bihar, Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu could be on the Prime Minister’s radar while he makes changes in the Cabinet and includes new faces, sources indicated.
Union Ministers Pradhan who was election-in-charge of Karnataka and Yadav, may be joining the party organisation to ‘strengthen’ the hands of Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is overall “strategising and micromanaging” for the party in the Lok Sabha polls.
Lok Jan Shakti party leader Chirag Paswan may be included in the Council of Ministers to consolidate the BJP’s Dalit turf in Bihar where it is facing a stiff challenge from the mahagathbandhan of the Rashtriya-Janata Dal (United), Congress and the left parties. Shah is also working towards a patch-up between Chirag and his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, they said. The reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet, happening after two years, could witness dropping of some of the Ministers who would “not be contesting Lok Sabha polls” or not be given party tickets, sources said.
Sources did not rule-out a bigger-role for Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh.