NEW DELHI: Amid speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle, many Union ministers are spending sleepless nights, apprehensive of being dropped from their ministries at a time when only nine months are left for the 2024 general election.
With over half a dozen Union ministers visiting the party central office here in the last two days, the buzz about organisational and ministerial reshuffle is growing louder. Several Union ministers and senior leaders, including Pralhad Patel, visited the party headquarters and met BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday. Sources said Sunil Jakhar, the newly appointed Punjab unit chief, was one of those who visited Nadda.
“The continuous visits of Union ministers and some senior leaders, including former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, might be related to the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. It is believed that they might have been hinted about the reshuffle,” a senior party functionary said.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia too visited the party headquarters and met Nadda after being called in. On Tuesday, several Union ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghawal, Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited Nadda.
According to sources, they discussed the party’s stand on several issues and also about the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Delhi political circles are abuzz with talks of Sitharaman contesting LS election from Madurai or any other safe seat in Tamil Nadu or another state in South India.
Party sources said Bhupendra Yadav may be engaged in organisational works in the coming days. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat may get major organisational responsibility. He had met party general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh. Another minister, S P S Baghel, also met the party president.
The saffron party remained tight-lipped on what transpired in the meetings. Sources, however, said that either the ministers would have been asked to prepare for elections leaving their ministries or they would have been briefed about the party’s stand on several issues ahead of the monsoon session of the Parliament.
Speculation is rife that Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will be made the party chief in Kerala, considering his sound organisational skills and experience. The names of Shobha Karandlaje for Karnataka, Mansukh Mandaviya for Gujarat, Ram Vilas Sharma for Haryana and Narendra Singh Tomar or Pralhad Patel for Madhya Pradesh are also doing the rounds.