Cabinet reshuffle, possible candidates for ministership flock to New Delhi
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New Delhi: As PM Modi's widely-anticipated cabinet expansion is around the corner, probable candidates for ministership gathers on national capital reports NDTV. Many took flight last evening, and some arrived today, NDTV report reads.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, who undermined the Congress to a collapse in Madhya Pradesh last year, is expected to be rewarded for his role in pulling the state back for BJP. He was seen in Ujjain's Mahakal temple on Tuesday morning, landed in Delhi later in the day.
Ex-Assam chief minister Sarbanada Sonowal is also expected to be added to the Union government after he gave up his CM post for Himanta Biswa Sarma after BJP was re-elected in the Assam. Pashupati Paras of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), who had led a coup against Chirag Paswan in Bihar, is also likely to get a seat within the cabinet. Sources close to Pashupati told NDTV that he was called by Home Minister Amit Shah, which led to his Delhi trip now.
A vacancy has created as Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot was appointed as Karnataka Governor. This vacancy would be alive till April 2024, the end of Gehlot's Rajya Sabha term, and could be filled with a leader who is not a member of either house of Parliament. Dinesh Trivedi and Jitin Prasada, who switched to BJP from Trinamool and Congress, are ideal candidates for the slot.
Others who landed in Delhi for the oath ceremony are Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), Pankaj Chowdhary, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Ramshankar Kahteria, Varun Gandhi, Lallan Singh and Rahul Kasawan.
As PM Modi's meeting with top ministers and BJP chief JP Nadda, scheduled for Tuesday at 5 PM, was cancelled, it could be taken as a sign that cabinet changes would be announced soon.
The Union Cabinet can have 81 members, but the strength is only 53 right now. Twenty-eight more ministers could be added. As polls are around for five states next year, PM Modi will keep that in mind before announcing candidates.
According to reports, some ministers may lose their subordinate ministers while others may see an upgrade in their portfolio. Modi had a thorough review of the cabinet ministers' performance, especially during the pandemic second wave as the union government has faced unprecedented criticism in the country and abroad regarding handling the pandemic.