Union minister of state and BJP leader from Kerala George Kurian , who was not renominated to the Rajya Sabha in the recent polls to the Upper House despite his term ending, resigned from the Union council of ministers on Tuesday.
Kurian, who served as the minister of State for Minority Affairs, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, was the only Christian minister in the government. His term ended on June 21. His resignation was accepted with immediate effect by the president , a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said on Tuesday. National Democratic Alliance (NDA ) functionaries indicated he might receive organizational responsibilities in his home state.
He had been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in August 2024 from Madhya Pradesh for the remaining term of the seat vacated by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The Rajya Sabha term of another minister of state, Ravneet Singh Bittu, ended on Sunday. He too, might step down as the BJP did not grant him a fresh term in the Upper House.
Hours after Kurien resigned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu, fuelling speculations of an imminent reallocation of portfolios in the Union Cabinet. The third Narendra Modi-led NDA government, which was formed on June 9, 2024 and completed two years, is yet to see a cabinet reshuffle.
{{/usCountry}}Hours after Kurien resigned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu, fuelling speculations of an imminent reallocation of portfolios in the Union Cabinet. The third Narendra Modi-led NDA government, which was formed on June 9, 2024 and completed two years, is yet to see a cabinet reshuffle.
{{/usCountry}}Such speculation has grown stronger in recent months as the NDA coalition in Bihar underwent a structural change and the BJP came to power in West Bengal for the first time. In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stepped down and BJP’s Samrat Choudhary has taken over. These developments might trigger changes in the inclusion of ministers from these two states.
A BJP leader pointed out that more than nine ministers currently hold more than one portfolio—some of which might be redistributed. “The revamped strength of two NDA allies—Shiv Sena and NCPI might also be taken into account during the reshuffle,” said a second BJPleader.
To be sure, the Lok Sabha speaker is yet to decide on the status of the MPS who broke ranks with their parties.
The 20 dissident TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha met Speaker Om Birla to join a non-descript NCPI party in one of the biggest defections in the recent times. Days later, Shiv Sena claimed that 6 of the 9 MPs of Sena (UBT) are with them.