Though the meeting is credited to a reshuffle of the union cabinet, the sources said Thursday’s meeting was limited to the changes in the party in view of the year-end Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. The changes were expected to be completed this week, but they were delayed because of the Maharashtra development of NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s shocker to his uncle Sharad Pawar by joining the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition governmeent last Sunday.
The Prime Minister did review the performance of the ministers in a meeting as scheduled on Monday evening by checking their performance of his council of ministers, but he delayed changes to first let the political upheaval over the NCP development first settle down.
Only two day ago, the BJP appointed new presidents in four states, including union minister of state Kishan Reddy in Telangana. Sources say the presidents of six more states are expected to be changed. Thee states include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, J&K and Karnataka.
There is also a speculation that many union ministers are being shifted to take the resposibilities in the states. Half a dozen ministers had meetings on July 4 and 5 with the BJP presidents Jagat Prakash Nadda. They included: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Law Minister Ram Meghwal, Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav and Science Minister Kiran Rijiju.
Meghwal, who took over the law portfolio from Rijiju only recently, and Bhupinder Yadav are both from Rajasthan and so speculation is rife that they may be considered as the chief minister candidate and the new state party president, but the leadership is still undecided on the pressure built by former CM Vasundhara Raje to contest the Assembly polls under her leadership. Sources said she may be brought in the Union Cabinet to skip her pressure.
Indications are that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni, MP from Lakhimpur Khiri, may be dropped in view of the controversy raging over his son still in jail in a case of mowing down of the farmers in his constituency two years ago.
Speculation is rife that the Prime Minister may pick up a Brahmin face as a cabinet minister in his place. Sources said Manoj Tiwari, an MP from Delhi, may be picked up for influencing the Brahmins not only from Delhi, but also from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Another name in consideration for induction in the Cabinet is that of present J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha (64) who is a Bhumihar having equal hold over UP and Bihar. Sinha was plucked from the union cabinet and sent to J&K in 2020.
