December 14, 2024 14:55 (IST)
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Cabinet reshuffle likely on Tuesday prior to PM Modi's Africa tour
New Delhi, Jul 4 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reshuffle his ministerial cabinet and redistribute portfolios on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Frank Noronha, Principal Spokesperson, Government of India and Director General of Press Information Bureau tweeted: "Cabinet expansion tomorrow at 11 a.m."
Some sources indicated that the Rashtrapati Bhawan has also been informed of an oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.
Many political experts believe the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2017 is one of the main reasons behind the likely reshuffle and candidates from UP may figure prominently in the new list of ministers.
Besides, the post of the sports minister had also fallen vacant after the former Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from the Cabinet to take charge as the chief minister of Assam.
On Friday, Prime Minister Modi held a meeting with his council of ministers. Each minister gave a presentation about the goals and work done by their departments.
According to media reports, Prime Minister Modi is expected to drop some ministers and introduce a few new faces. Shiv Sena is likely to get a berth in the rejigged cabinet.
Modi is expected to induct at least nine new faces, many of them Dalit and from poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, reported Hindustan Times (HT). Among the probables from UP are Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, Shahjahanpur MP Krishna Raj and Chandauli MP Mahendra Pandey.
However, the four top posts, home, finance, external affairs and defence, will not be part of the reshuffle, reported the media.
According to media reports, if the prime minister decides to apply the age rule, then minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla, 76, and small and medium enterprises minister Kalraj Mishra, 75, may be dropped.
Junior minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi may replace Najma Heptualla.
Other names that are doing the rounds are Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia, Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athawale, Almora MP Ajay Tamta, Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal and Pali MP PP Choudhary. BJP Chief Amit Shah had a meeting with some of them.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also met BJP chief to lobby for induction of ministers from his state, reported NDTV.
The last cabinet expansion took place in November 2014.
According to media reports, a high-level meet is scheduled to take place at the BJP headquarter in New Delhi on Monday ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for his four-nation Africa tour on July 7.
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