Cabinet reshuffle to take place at 11:00 am today.
With an eye on crucial Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections, Dalit outreach and striking a regional balance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to expand his council of ministers on Tuesday.
A top government source described it as an expansion rather a reshuffle. In the much awaited rejig, at least three faces out of over a dozen-odd are being inducted from the poll-bound UP and almost a fourth of the new faces are from the scheduled castes (SCs) or Dalits.
The ruling BJP has an ambitious plan to bring into its fold Dalits, who hold the key to victory in several poll-bound states next year. This will be also be the second reshuffle after a gap of 19 months since formation of the NDA government on May 21, 2014. Modi wants to complete the exercise before he leaves on a five-day four-nation Africa tour, starting July 7.
The major portfolios, including the top four – home, finance, external affairs and defence – are unlikely to be touched, government sources said. Probable new faces in the Council of Ministers include journalist-turned Rajya Sabha MP and BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar. There is speculation that finance minister Arun Jaitley may move out of Information and Broadcasting and take charge of law ministry, a portfolio held by DV Sadananda Gowda. It is believed that Jaitley was better equipped to handle ticklish issues with judiciary.
A major departure this time was that instead of those to be sworn in getting calls from the PMO, they got calls from BJP president Amit Shah. Those likely to be inducted met Shah at his residence on Monday.
The Prime Minister held yet another round of consultations on the reshuffle with Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday evening, indicating the possibility of some more changes in the last moment. Though 12 names had been already formalised, there is a scope for four more inductions and still more if some are dropped. While the present ministry's strength is 66, the constitutional formula of maximum 15% membership of the Lok Sabha allows up to 82 ministers.
At least three new faces to be inducted in the ministry are from small and regional allies of the BJP like Anupriya Patel of poll-bound UP's Apna Dal, the two-member party which is merging with the BJP, and Ramdas Athawale of the Republican Party of India (RPI). There was no confirmation if Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Anil Desai (59) who didn't join ministry in November 2014 when his party called him back from Delhi airport, would be inducted.
Anupriya's entry into the cabinet is expected to effectively neutralise the possibility of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar making inroads into UP and taking away a formidable section of the Kurmi votes. Also it would balance the caste equation, following the induction of another powerful Kurmi leader, Beni Prasad Verma, recently into the Samajwadi Party. A graduate from New Delhi's Lady Sri Ram College, Anupriya has been in the forefront in the Lok Sabha with her articulate interventions during discussions and debates.
Another leader picked up from Uttar Pradesh is minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi who may get the cabinet berth being vacated by Najma Heptulla crossing the age limit of 75, fixed by Modi for his ministers. Heptulla, who had crossed 75 last year had since then stopped celebrating her birthday or even taking greetings. Micro, small and medium enterprises minister Kalraj Mishra has also turned 75, but there is an uncertainty over his exit since he is a prominent Brahmin face from Uttar Pradesh having some 13% Brahmin votes.
Those in the list for likely promotions as cabinet ministers are Piyush Goyal (MoS, Power) and Dharmendra Pradhan (MoS, Petroleum). Both hold independent charge and have been selected for promotion because of their splendid performance, the party sources said. Controversial Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh, Sanjeev Balyan, and Bhumihar leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Manoj Sinha, are also likely to be promoted. Currently, both hold ministers of state rank.
The reshuffle will also fill up the vacancy of sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is now Assam chief minister. At present, Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS in PMO, is holding the charge since after Sonowal stepped down as the sports minister. Karnataka BJP chief and former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has been pressing for the induction of his staunch loyalist Shobha Karandlaje, Udupi-Chickmagalur MP. It, however, depends on the future of law minister DV Sadananda Gowda as his removal will miff strong Vokkaliga community.
From Rajasthan, minister of state for water resources Sanwar Lal Jat – a Lok Sabha MP from Ajmer – is believed to be on his way out on health grounds. Sources said junior minister for chemical and fertilisers Nihal Chand, a Lok Sabha MP from Ganganagar, may also be dropped. Two of the likely faces – Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal and Pali MP PP Choudhary – are from Rajasthan and may come in place of Jat and Chand.
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