A reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, being termed the last such before the general election of 2019, will take place around 10 a.m. on Sunday.
At least half a dozen Union Ministers were asked to quit to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi room for a massive rejig of the Council of Ministers at a meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah on Thursday.
Those resignations have not been forwarded to the Rashtrapati Bhavan as yet.
Not my decision: Rudy
Union Minister for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy put in his papers on Thursday evening.
“It’s not my decision. It’s the decision of the party and I will follow [it],” he said.
His ministerial colleague Sanjeev Balyan said that he complied with a “one-sentence resignation letter” and added that he would work for the party organisation now.
Others who quit include Faggan Singh Kulaste, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, and Mahendra Nath Pandey (who quit after being made president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP).
Two other resignations are hanging fire, that of Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Kalraj Mishra and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.
Mr. Mishra is reported to have met the Prime Minister and offered to quit. Sources say that almost all the resignations have been sought on the basis of assessment of performance, especially the Skill India and Namami Gange initiatives, both close to Prime Minister Modi’s heart.
Amit Shah in Mathura
Having secured the resignations, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday went off to Mathura for a huddle with the top leadership of the RSS, a pre-scheduled meeting but where the list of probables for induction will also be discussed.
Sources said, after the RSS consultation, the top brass of the Sangh and the BJP will be meeting and calls to probables will be made late Friday night and early Saturday morning. At least 8-10 new entrants are expected in Sunday’s rejig.
Important Ministries such as Defence, Environment, Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development are being held as additional charges and the Prime Minister needs to distribute the work a little wider. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who had offered to take responsibility for the frequent derailments leading to fatalities, may be shifted to another Ministry.
The pattern emerging from the Prime Minister’s list of exclusions points to the fact that he wants faster work on job creation and water resources.
States such as Himachal Pradesh (which goes to the polls this year) may find representation. Health Minister J.P. Nadda’s portfolio may change and he may be asked to look at party affairs in the State.
Karnataka too may get two berths as it goes to the polls in 2018. The Janata Dal(U) will get two berths, most likely R.C.P. Singh and Santosh Kumar Kushwaha. The Shiv Sena may also see an addition to its numbers in the Ministry.
An interesting addition, reflecting the BJP’s ambitions in the northeast could be Conrad Sangma, Nationalist People’s Party leader and MP from Tura in Meghalaya.
The current strength of the Ministry is 73 and the maximum number cannot go beyond 81.
Sena’s hope
Shiv Sena expects one Cabinet Minister and one Minister of State berth. Party sources said the BJP leadership was likely to hold talks with the Sena brass.
The present Cabinet has only one Sena Minister in Anant Geete, who is handling the portfolio for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises.
(With inputs from Alok Deshpande)