New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's crucial meeting at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday with regard to the cabinet reshuffle likely to be held this week, has been cancelled, according to sources. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Joshi and Piyush Goyal were supposed to attend the meeting.
It has been two years since the NDA came back to power in 2019. There are also speculations of several senior leaders like former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia to be accommodated. As per reports key allies like Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party faction led by Paras, are likely to be accommodated in the cabinet expansion apart from redistribution of portfolios. Few BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are also expected to be added. Earlier sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that the party is likely to accommodate a few of its prominent leaders and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members in the Narendra Modi Cabinet soon.
Read: Modi reviews ministries before possible cabinet shuffle
Several positions in the Cabinet are vacant due to the exit of Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal and the demise of Ramvilas Paswan of Jan Lokshakti Party. The reshuffle of the cabinet is not just an exercise to develop the administrative governance of PM Modi’s tenure (next 3-years) but also to radiate a political signal by correcting the regional representation in lieu of the upcoming polls. As of now, the PM has 53 ministers in his cabinet instead of the 81 member council. Hence, PM Modi could fill up the remaining 28 vacancies.
As per sources, all ministries of the Modi government 2.0 have been reviewed and the cabinet will be expanded and altered accordingly. So far, the following ministries have been reviewed - Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Rural Development, Coal and Mining, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Housing and Urban Affairs, Civil Aviation, Railways, Tourism and Culture, Tribal Affairs, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Road Transport and Highways, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Development of North Eastern Region.
Read: Modi reviews ministries before possible cabinet shuffle
