With the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in mind, Prime Minister Narendra Modiis set to expand his Cabinet tomorrow with major changes expected in the distribution of portfolios. Some Cabinet ministers are likely to face the axe while some Ministers of State might be elevated.
Principal spokesperson of the government Frank Norhona tweeted that the much-awaited rejig of the Cabinet will take place tomorrow at 11 am on Tuesday. Sources in the government said the Rashtrapati Bhawan has been informed of an oath ceremony tomorrow.
There were talks of Cabinet expansion for the past several months amid speculation that Modi could induct new faces from Uttar Pradesh which is going to polls next year. There is also a vacancy in the Council of Ministers after Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal became the Chief Minister of Assam.
Here are the latest developments in the story
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“Cabinet expansion tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11 a.m.,” Principal spokesperson and Director General of Press Information Bureau Frank Noronha said in a tweet.
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The Prime Minister has been holding consultations on the Cabinet reshuffle with senior party colleagues including BJP chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
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A high-level Bharatiya Janata Party meeting will take place today at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi to finalise the names.
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On June 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the performance of various ministries indicating a reshuffle.
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The Cabinet reshuffle will happen a day before Modi leaves on a four-nation Africa tour on July 7.
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While Dharmendra Pradhan and Piyush Goel are likely to be promoted, Ram Shankar Katheria and Nihal Chand are likely to be removed.
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Purushottam Rupala, Anupriya Patel, Ramdas Athawale, Ajay Tamta, Krishnraj, SS Ahluwalia, Mahendranath Pandey, Arjun Ram Meghwal, PP Chaudhary likely to be inducted in the Cabinet.
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In the possible reshuffle and expansion of his council of ministers, the Prime Minister is likely to keep regional balances especially in view of coming elections in key states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
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It will be a first major ministerial reshuffle after Modi took over as the Prime Minister in May 2014. The last Cabinet expansion had taken place in November 2014.
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According to reports, there is a likelihood of smaller parties getting a berth in the Cabinet expansion.