According to media reports, as many as 43 leaders will take oath as Union ministers in the Union cabinet expansion this evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The reshuffle, BJP sources say, is aimed at giving a message of economic recovery post-COVID shock and energizing the cadres after the big debacle in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
The last Cabinet reshuffle took place in 2017 during Modi’s first tenure and had seen Nirmala Sitharaman, in the top four ministries. She is the second woman member in the all-powerful Cabinet Committee on Security after Sushma Swaraj, the then External Affairs Minister.
Currently, there are 21 cabinet ministers, nine ministers with independent charge, and 23 ministers of state in Prime Minister Modi’s council of ministers. The council of ministers can go up to 81 ministers. Now, according to reports, not less than a dozen are expected.
BJP leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayana Rane, and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonolwal are spotted in the BJP office, giving an impression that they would be taking the oath.
This is the first-ever cabinet reshuffle ever since Modi took oath as the PM for the second time in 2019.
Ramesh Pokhirayal, union HRD minister and Labour minister Santosh Gangwar confirmed that they had stepped down due to health reasons.
The council of ministers is expected to have more women this time. BJP Vice President Sobha Karandlaje, MP from Been in Maharashtra Pritam Munde, Heeen Gavit, MP from Nandurbad are seen as probables.
As the council is expected to have more representation of women, BJP Vice President Sobha Karandlaje, MP from Beed in Maharashtra Pritam Munde, and Heena Gavit MP from Maharashtra’s Nandurbar are among probable candidates.
Chemical and Fertilizers minister Sadananda Gowda has also been asked to resign.
Change is unlikely in the top four ministries, Home, Defence, Finance and External Affairs.