Buzz about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet expansion grew stronger with reports of probable ministers heading to Delhi.
Jyotiraditya Scindia is flying to Delhi from Indore and Janata Dal leader CP Singh has also reached Delhi, according to sources.
This morning, PM Modi’s meeting with top ministers and BJP chief JP Nadda, scheduled for 5 PM, was cancelled.
The Union Cabinet, which can have 81 members, currently has 53 ministers. This means 28 ministers can be added.
As PM Modi expands his cabinet for the first time in his second term, he is likely to factor in polls in five states next year and the 2024 national election.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose defection led to the collapse of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, is likely to be rewarded for his role in getting the state back for the BJP.
Former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who agreed to give up the Chief Minister’s post in Assam for Himanta Biswa Sarma after the BJP’s reelection, is also likely to be accommodated in the Union government.
So is Pashupati Paras, who led the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) coup in Bihar against ex-Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan. Mr Paras, spotted shopping for a kurta, clammed up when asked whether he had received an invite from Delhi and said: “Raaz ko raaz rehne do (let secrets be)”.
Nitish Kumar’s JDU may finally join the Union Cabinet three years after the Bihar Chief Minister rejected the BJP’s offer of only one ministry.
Leading up to the first cabinet changes since he started a second term in 2019, PM Modi carried out a month-long review of ministers’ performance, especially during the second wave of Covid in April-May, which had the government facing unprecedented criticism in the country and abroad.
Reports suggest some ministers may lose the extra ministries they had been in charge of. A few may see an upgrade in their portfolio, reports suggest.
Surjitt Sahani
