Chatter intensifies over BJP organisational rejig, Modi cabinet reshuffle

With Assembly elections over in key states, speculations are intensifying over a long-pending organisational reshuffle in the ruling BJP and also the expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers—exercises closely linked and aimed at infusing fresh energy amid fatigue and mounting economic and geopolitical challenges.

According to top party sources, BJP president Nitin Nabin is expected to announce his new team “within the next 10 days”. This is likely to be followed by a reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, which has not seen any expansion or major changes since PM Modi returned to power for a third consecutive term in 2024.

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What also fuelled the chatter is a reported meeting of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Modi and scheduled for May 21. Though officials familiar with the developments said such meetings are “routine,” particularly given the challenges currently facing the country.

Adding to the buzz was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Nabin in Delhi on Thursday. Discussions are learnt to have focused on organisational changes and possible portfolio adjustments in the Uttar Pradesh government, apart from preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. “Everything, including Uttar Pradesh elections, is closely linked with central BJP organisational and Cabinet reshuffle,” sources said.

The organisational and Cabinet reshuffles are significant as they precede crucial contests, including the 2027 Assembly elections in key states such as Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the Presidential election and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2027, the BJP will face Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The party is already in power in five of these states. Party insiders say the revamped Union Cabinet and BJP national team may include representatives from poll-bound states as well as states where elections were recently held, such as Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Nabin, 45, who became the BJP’s youngest president in January, is expected to strike a balance between experienced leaders and younger faces in the new organisational team. Sources indicated that some ministers above a certain age or those nearing the end of their Rajya Sabha tenure could be assigned organisational responsibilities.

Senior leaders currently serving as Union ministers or holding key party posts may be entrusted with crucial organisational roles as the BJP prepares for the next round of electoral battles. Younger leaders, women and professionals are also expected to get greater representation as the party plans for the next decade.

Nabin’s team would prioritise leaders with strong ideological alignment with both the party and the RSS. Former state chiefs and members of the current organisation are also being considered for key organisational and government roles, the sources added.

Notably, there have been no major changes in the third Modi government since it assumed office in June 2024. However, during Modi’s second term, the government carried out a major mid-term reshuffle in 2021, dropping several senior ministers, promoting others and inducting technocrats and younger leaders. The exercise was seen as an attempt to sharpen governance and administrative efficiency in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.