NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government is reportedly preparing for a major reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers.
A key feature could be the redistribution of additional portfolios currently held by several Cabinet ministers. Eleven of them are handling additional ministries. They include Home Minister Amit Shah, who also holds Cooperation; former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who has Power in addition to Housing and Urban Affairs; JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh; Pralhad Joshi; JP Nadda; Ashwini Vaishnaw; Kiren Rijiju and Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
The emerging view is that the reshuffle, whether held in September-October or November, could follow the principle of “One Minister-One Ministry”. Another consideration could be keeping party and government responsibilities separate. The BJP wants to strengthen its organisation ahead of the 2029 general elections. Under such an arrangement, BJP MPs holding organisational positions may not be inducted.
JP Nadda is the Health and Family Welfare Minister and also holds Chemicals and Fertilisers. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister and also handles Rural Development. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has the additional charge of Corporate Affairs.
Among NDA allies, H. D. Kumaraswamy handles Heavy Industries and Steel. Rajiv Ranjan Singh is Minister for Panchayati Raj and also handles Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Jyotiraditya Scindia holds Communications and the additional charge of Development of North Eastern Region, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also handles Minority Affairs. Mansukh Mandaviya is Labour and Employment Minister and also handles Youth Affairs and Sports. G. Kishan Reddy holds Coal and Mines.
Ashwini Vaishnaw has perhaps the largest additional responsibility. Apart from Railways, he handles Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology. Several Ministers of State, including Rao Inderjit Singh and Arjun Ram Meghwal, also hold additional portfolios or responsibilities.
Another consideration is the induction of new faces from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, with adequate representation for women. There is speculation that the government could seek to raise women’s representation to around 33 per cent of the ministerial strength across Cabinet and Minister of State ranks.
“This is logical as it might reflect the PM’s commitment to ensure 33% representation to women. However, Modi may consider doing this before the legislation is passed in Parliament, thereby taking the issue away from the Opposition and reiterating the NDA’s commitment to give reservation for women,” a senior BJP functionary, privy to this consideration, told this newspaper on Friday.
The reshuffle could therefore be more than a routine exercise, with representation, organisational discipline and accommodation of different sections within the NDA being key considerations. Some prominent BJP leaders who were recently left out of organisational positions, as well as those expected to be dropped from the party’s parliamentary board, could also be considered for ministerial positions.