Shah’s meeting with President fuels fresh buzz over Cabinet expansion

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with President Droupadi Murmu has reignited speculation over the much-anticipated expansion and reshuffle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers.

The meeting, held after Union Minister George Kurian’s resignation, has been interpreted as a sign that major structural changes and portfolio reallocations could be on the cards ahead of the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament and Assembly elections in key states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls next year.

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Earlier this week, Prime Minister Modi also met President Murmu on the day Kurian resigned. Although the meeting was officially described as routine, it too fuelled speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle could take place before the Monsoon Session.

The BJP follows a “one person, one post” policy that separates government and organisational responsibilities. According to party sources, Ravneet Singh Bittu, whose Rajya Sabha term has ended, may be shifted to Punjab in an organisational role ahead of the state’s Assembly elections. He could be replaced in the Union Cabinet by Tarun Chugh, the RSS-backed Punjab leader who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Political circles are also abuzz with speculation that former RBI Governor and former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shaktikanta Das may be inducted into the Union Cabinet. There is also speculation that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could be shifted to the Education Ministry, a move that would likely bring an end to Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure as Education Minister.

Pradhan has been under pressure over the controversy surrounding the NEET examination. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is also being mentioned as a possible casualty of the reshuffle.

Meanwhile, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena could be rewarded for facilitating the entry of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the NDA fold, with MP Shrikant Shinde emerging as a strong contender for a Cabinet berth. The Shiv Sena is now the NDA’s second-largest constituent after the Telugu Desam Party, which has 16 Lok Sabha seats, while the Janata Dal (United) holds 12 seats.

There is also speculation that former Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Meerut MP Arun Govil could be accommodated in the expanded Council of Ministers. A couple of AAP turncoats from Punjab are also said to be in line for ministerial positions.

Besides poll-bound states, West Bengal may also receive greater representation in the Union government. The BJP leadership is expected to accommodate the aspirations of its alliance partners as the NDA seeks to maintain cohesion ahead of the next round of electoral contests.