Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday called on President Droupadi Murmu, triggering speculation of a likely Cabinet reshuffle ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
Hours after PM Modi met the President, Shah also called upon her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. These meetings hold immense political significance in the backdrop of the logjam in Parliament over the Opposition demand for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. Except discussions in both Houses on Operation Sindoor, Parliament has seen little business ever since the Monsoon Session began on July 21.
In a post on X, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, “Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Prime Minister’s meeting with the President also came days after US President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on exports from India and an unspecified penalty because of New Delhi’s purchases of Russian military equipment and oil.
PM Modi’s meeting with the President also holds importance as August 21 has been announced as the last date for filing of the nominations for the post of the Vice President. The elections for the Vice President will be held on September 9 and counting will also take place the same day.
The ECI is required to fill the Vice President’s post as soon as possible as per the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Constitution.
The Electoral College for the election comprises 788 members of Parliament, including 233 elected and 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and 543 elected Lok Sabha lawmakers.
Five vacancies in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha bring the strength of the Electoral College to 782. Each vote holds equal value (one vote per member). The election is conducted through a system of proportional representation through the single transferable vote.
The unexpected resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar from the post of the VP, citing health grounds, had triggered an avalanche of speculation through the political landscape about the circumstances surrounding his sudden departure.
The very Opposition that had once criticised Dhankhar for silencing their voices in the Upper House suddenly united to defend him.
But the Government wasted no time in dumping him, leaving Dhankhar to navigate the storm alone.
There is speculation in the political circles that the Modi Government may go in for a Cabinet reshuffle to accommodate some faces from the poll-bound Bihar. With growing demand from a section of its party workers to declare its own CM face for the Bihar polls, the BJP-led Government at Centre may try to appease crucial vote banks by incorporating their leaders in the next Cabinet reshuffle.