The reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, which is expected to take place after the new President is sworn in after 20 July, is likely to see key changes, with some of the heavyweight ministries like defence, external affairs and health witnessing a change of guard.
BJP party sources said that the reshuffle—which has been necessitated because of various reasons including the movement of former Union ministers to states, expiry of Rajya Sabha terms and the upcoming Assembly elections in various states—will be the last such exercise before the country goes to the polls in May 2019. The Ministry of Defence, which is presently with Arun Jaitley, who is also handling the Ministry of Finance, is likely to be given to an existing minister, who will be divested of his existing responsibility.
“All the capable senior and experienced men that we can use are already working in the Cabinet. The PM will have to choose from the existing Cabinet colleagues (regarding who will head the Ministry of Defence). As of now, there are no plans to bring Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Delhi to head the Ministry of Defence, as some media reports have suggested, as moving him now will give a very negative message considering the fact that MP goes to polls next year,” a senior party functionary said.
The Rajya Sabha (RS) tenure of Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, is also coming to an end in August 2017 and party sources said that the possibility of she being repeated again was not too bright.
The untimely death of former Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, who was an RS member from MP, has also created a vacancy in the Cabinet and the Prime Minister is of the view that the crucial ministry should have a full-time minister.
With the appointment of Manohar Parrikar, who is an RS MP from Uttar Pradesh, as the Chief Minister of Goa, there is a very strong possibility that a senior Bihar-based BJP leader who has been attacking RJD president Lalu Yadav and his family members over alleged corruption, is likely to be sent to the RS from UP in place of Parrikar after being inducted into the Cabinet. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda is likely to be asked to move to Himachal Pradesh and prepare for the Assembly elections that are due at the end of this year, as the party has decided to move beyond former Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar in the hill state.
National vice president Prabhat Jha, who is an RS member from Madhya Pradesh, is also likely to be given a role in the Cabinet. Jha, whose name was dropped at the last moment from the first Cabinet list when the Modi government had won in May 2014—after an influential state leader had pushed for dropping him, giving Narendra Singh Tomar a space in the Cabinet—is likely to be rewarded for the role that he has played in strengthening the organisation in the state.
Similarly, the Ministry of External Affairs is also likely to witness a change of guard, with party sources hinting about the change at the very top. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who has not been keeping well, is likely to be given a position that will give her more time to focus on her health. Swaraj’s name was propped up by a certain section of the media as a possible BJP Presidential nominee, something which, according to senior party leaders, was never discussed in party circles.
“Vacancies will come up in ministries like defence, external affairs and health, apart from some other ministries because of unavoidable reasons. The homework regarding who will fill these vacancies is almost done,” a senior party leader said.