Cabinet reshuffle likely tomorrow, poll-bound states may find favour

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reshuffle his cabinet on Tuesday morning with poll-bound states expected to get representation in the council

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reshuffle his cabinet on Tuesday morning with poll-bound states expected to get representation in the council of ministers, sources told HT.

HT Image

The top four portfolios — home, finance, external affairs and defence — are unlikely to be touched but the long-awaited exercise might see the induction of leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, all of which go to the polls next year.

Minority affairs minister Najma Heptullah might be dropped from the cabinet and replaced by her junior minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath and Apna Dal parliamentarian Anupriya Patel are among the contenders for a ministerial berth among leaders from UP — where the BJP is going all out to regain power after more than a decade.

Youth and sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal has become the Assam chief minister, creating a vacancy. Sources said BJP parliamentarian Ramen Deka is in the running for a ministerial slot from the Northeast.

A formal communication will be sent to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. “24 hours notice is enough for us to prepare for the swearing-in ceremony, ” said a senior official at the President’ s office.

Over the past week, Modi held consultations on the reshuffle with party colleagues, including BJP chief Amit Shah, home minister Rajnath Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Modi has also had three rounds of meetings with his ministers to evaluate their performance in terms of implementing policies and cabinet decisions.

On Tuesday, it will become clear if he has cracked the whip on the non-performing ministers.