Amid Cabinet reshuffle buzz, PM calls on President

Fuelling speculations of a major Union Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called on President Droupadi Murmu late evening. The meeting followed after Union minister and veteran BJP leader from Kerala, George Kurian, resigned from the Union Council of Ministers.

The President’s office shared pictures of the meeting between Murmu and Modi on its social media platforms. “Prime Minister called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan,” the post said. The source said the meeting took place soon after the civil investiture ceremony to confer Padma awards.

Early in the day, the President accepted Kurian’s resignation, a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. The President of India, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accepted the resignation of Kurian from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution, the communique issued on Tuesday said. “The Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the President,” the clause read.

Sources said during the next couple of days, three more Ministers of State — Harsh Malhotra, Pankaj Chaudhary and Ravneet Singh Bittu — may be asked to resign as ministers. While Malhotra has already been appointed as the BJP chief of Delhi, Chaudhary was handed over the charge to lead the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP.

In the recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls, neither Kurian nor Bittu was re-nominated to contest the polls. Kurian was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in August 2024 from Madhya Pradesh for the remaining term of the seat vacated by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Kurian was Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and also for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying. Bittu, whose Rajya Sabha term ended on June 21, has also not been renominated by the BJP to the Upper House. He had been a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan since August 2024 and also holds the charge as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, as well as MoS Railways.

Recently, some of the Union ministers have been given key organisational responsibilities in their home States. BJP President Nitin Nabin, during the last couple of months, has held a series of meetings, which include one with the Prime Minister. It is understood that meetings have taken place to discuss a complete overhaul of the organisational structure of the BJP and also changes in the Council of Ministers.

Ahead of the celebrations of the completion of 12 years of the NDA Government-led by Modi as Prime Minister, a review meeting of the performance of the Council of Ministers was chaired by the PM last month. Government sources said a reshuffle was also awaited to get over certain clarity on realignments of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from TMC, Shiv Sena, which has duly been completed.