In a major revamp of the Union Cabinet, third after the BJP assumed power at the Centre on May 26, 2014, several new faces are
expected to be inducted in the Council of Ministers on Sunday and heavyweight portfolios may also change hands. Performance and representation from the States going to polls likely are to be main
criteria for the selection and allocation of portfolios, said sources.
Confirming reshuffle on Sunday, a top Government official said, “A process has been set in motion for the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 am on Sunday.”
Six of the incumbent Ministers have already resigned from their posts. Some of them may be inducted into the organisational work to achieve Mission-350 seats in the 2019 lok Sabha polls. In addition, more fresh faces will be inducted to relieve those Ministers who have additional charge of portfolios like Defence, Environment, Information & Broadcasting and Urban Housing Development.
BJP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan Bhupendra Yadav, party’s vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe (RS member from Maharashtra), Prahlad Patel (lok Sabha Madhya Pradesh), Prahlad Joshi and Suresh Angadi (lok Sabha MPs from Karnataka) and Satyapal Singh (lok Sabha MP from UP) are said to be in the running for induction in the Council of Ministers.
“The reshuffle in the Cabinet would be aimed at enhancing performance of Ministries and improving the prospect of the party in upcoming Assembly polls in several States,” said a senior BJP leader.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are going to polls by this year-end while elections are due in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Tripura in 2018. The changes in the Cabinet would adjust to new allies like the JD(U) and may provide additional or new berth to the existing partners like the TDP and the Shiv Sena.
Four junior Ministers —Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey — have resigned ahead of the rejig. Union labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, 70 — the lone representation from Telanagana — also put in his papers on Friday to make way for a new face.
Rudy is from Bihar which like UP also does not have to face an Assembly poll in near future. Two Cabinet Ministers Uma Bharti and Kalraj Mishra have also offered to resign, said BJP sources. Bharti, who is the Water Resources Minister, said only Shah or anyone on his behalf can speak on the issue.
“The media sought my reaction on reports in circulation since yesterday. I have said that I have not heard the question, will not hear nor will I answer it,” she tweeted.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who had taken moral responsibility for a string of train accidents and indicated his willingness to resign, may be moved to another important Ministry like Environment and Forest, sources said. There are unconfirmed reports that his portfolio could go to Nitin Gadkari.
With the Nitsh Kumar-led JD(U) also likely to join the Government, its leaders RCP Singh, who is its parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, and Santosh Kumar are the likely picks from the new NDA constituent.
AIADMK leader Thambidurai had met Shah on Thursday, triggering speculation that the Dravadian party may be invited to join the Cabinet. Names of P Venugopal and V Maitreyan were also doing the round from AIADMK side. However, it was not clear if the faction-ridden party will get the invite to share power at the Centre when fate of its State Government is hanging in balance.
The current strength of the Council of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, is 73 and the maximum number of ministers cannot go beyond 81. According to a constitutional amendment, the limit cannot exceed beyond 15 per cent of the total strength of the lok Sabha which is 545.