Highlights:
- Cabinet changes likely this week
- Jyotiraditya Scindia heads to National Capital from Indore
- Cabinet can be extended with 28 additional ministers right now
The buzz around the cabinet expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi grew stronger with reports of probable ministers heading to Delhi. Jyotiraditya Scindia is flying to Delhi from Indore and Janata Dal leader CP Singh has also reached Delhi, according to sources.
On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with top minister as well as BJP Chief JP Nadda, scheduled for 5:00 PM today, was cancelled.
The Union Cabinet currently has 53 ministers and can have 81 members. This means 28 ministers can be added to the current cabinet of the Indian Prime Minister.
As PM Narendra Modi expands his cabinet for the first time in his second term, he is likely to factor in polls in five states next year and the 2024 national election.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, who quit Congress leading to the collapse of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, is likely to be rewarded for his role in getting the state back for the saffron party.
The former Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, who agreed to give up the Chief Minister’s post in Assam for Himanta Biswa Sarma after the BJP’s reelection, is also likely to be accommodated in the Union government.
Even Pashupati Paras, who led the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) coup in Bihar against the former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, could be added to the cabinet.
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Mr Paras, spotted shopping for a kurta, clammed up when asked whether he had received an invite from Delhi and said: “Raaz ko raaz rehne do” which loosely translates to “let secrets be”.
Wonder why @PashupatiParas went kurta shopping???? Before the call or after??? ????? #CabinetReshuffle pic.twitter.com/n0fb3BqNfA
— Payal Mehta/પાયલ મેહતા/ पायल मेहता/ পাযেল মেহতা (@payalmehta100) July 5, 2021
Nitish Kumar from JDU could also finally get the chance to join the Union Cabinet three years after the Bihar Chief Minister rejected the BJP’s offer of only one ministry.
This will be the first cabinet change since PM Modi started a second term in 2019, PM Modi carried out a month-long review of ministers’ performance, especially during the second wave of COVID-19 induced pandemic in April-May, which had the government facing unprecedented criticism in the country and abroad.
Reports suggest some ministers could lose the extra ministries they had been in charge of while there could be a few who may see an upgrade in their portfolio.
