Cabinet reshuffle likely on Wednesday amid buzz of big reset

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to effect the first reshuffle in his Council of Ministers on Wednesday since he assumed the charge for a second term in what is tipped to be a major shakeup of the government as he looks to make it more representative with an eye on political and governance challengesBJP leaders Sarbananda Sonowal Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narayan Rane all of whom are being seen as probables for induction as ministers in the Modi government arrived in the national capital on TuesdayIn another pointer to the imminent Cabinet reshuffle Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot was appointed as Karnataka governor causing yet another ministerial vacancyJDU leader R C P Singh and LJPs Pashupati Kumar Paras both of whom are expected to represent the BJPs allies in the government also reached here from BiharAll of them remained tightlipped to queries about their possibility of joining the governmentRane told reporters that he had not received any call about his joining the governmentLeaders of the LJP faction headed by Paras said he had received a call from Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday but claimed that it was related to the birth anniversary of party founder Ram Vilas PaswanMultiple sources said the reshuffle is likely to take place on Wednesday eveningThere has been no official word on the Cabinet reshuffleThe exercise comes against the backdrop of a massive review which has stretched for weeks undertaken by the BJP top brass of the works of Union ministers and the organisation against the backdrop of the Covid19 pandemicA BJP leader said the reshuffle is expected to be a big shakeup with Modi addressing political challenges including the assembly polls in five states early next year and governance issuesThe prime minister is also scheduled to chair a Cabinet meeting hours before the expected reshuffleHis review of the works of his ministers early next year assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand Goa Manipur and Punjab and the Covid19 pandemic that has been a factor in the internal evaluation of the partys governance and organisational works are likely to weigh heavy in the expected reshuffleRepresentation of BJP MPs from West Bengal and the Northeast may go upAnother BJP ally All India Jharkhand Students Union may also get a berth sources said as the BJP looks to boost its partners representation in the ministry after its old allies like Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal severed their ties with itRamadas Athavale a junior minister is the only BJP ally in the government as of nowThe current strength of the Council of Ministers is 53 including Modi and its maximum number can be 81Against the massive review exercise within the central government and the party machinery the prime minister may go for new faces with an eye on grooming younger leaders while also factoring in caste and regional balancesThere is also a buzz about Modi inducting some professionals and those with domain expertise besides bringing in more womenThe reshuffles undertaken by Modi so far all in his first term have also seen some ministers being dropped or removed from key portfolios on account of their performanceThe prime minister has also sprung surprises in the past by inducting those with apolitical background like S Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri as ministersA party source said it is likely to be a big shakeup and members of the party organisation may be brought in the governmentNames of Bhupender Yadav Anil Baluni Sudhanshu Trivedi are doing the rounds while BJP MPs Sushil Modi Ashwini Vaishnav and G V L Narasimha Rao are also being mentioned as probablesBJP general secretary organisation B L Santhosh met party president J P Nadda in the evening Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje also met SanthoshWith Gehlot set to quit as an MP after becoming governor his departure will also leave the key post of the leader of the House in Rajya Sabha vacantIt will leave one more position vacant in the BJPs Parliamentary Board the partys apex body where he is the only Dalit leaderIncidentally top RSS brass including its chief Mohan Bhagwat and joint general secretaries Krishna Gopal and Manmohan Vaidya was also in the city for the last few daysThe BJP has often factored in the feedback from the RSS in its key decisionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever