Rajnath, Nirmala Sitharaman and Hardeep may be dropped from the cabinet

Narendra Modi’s cabinet reshuffle has now been finalized. It is known from several sources that the decision to remove several ministers is known to all. The new ministers are expected to be sworn in before the monsoon session of Parliament begins in July. Speculations are rife in government circles that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will introduce them in Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session.

It is learned that one of the objectives of the upcoming reshuffle is to give opportunities to young leaders in the cabinet. BJP president Niti Naveen is 46 years old. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP top leadership want their 50-year-old leaders to be inducted into the cabinet.

Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held next year and it is also very important for the BJP to strengthen its base in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections 2029. The party feels that the central government should set an equally good example to highlight the importance of dual engine government. It has been decided to bring young leaders into the cabinet. However, this decision will not apply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is one of the chief ministers who may be left out of the reshuffle. Rajnath, who is the same age as the Prime Minister, has been in the Union Cabinet ever since he became the national president of the BJP.

It is learned that in the case of Rajnath Singh, another factor is being considered apart from age. His two sons are now quite active in Uttar Pradesh politics. The elder son is an MLA in the state and the younger son is the vice-president of Uttar Pradesh BJP. It was decided to remove him from the current cabinet to avoid accusations of nepotism.

BJP sources said the defense minister has been informed about the decision. However, it is not yet clear who will replace him.

There has been talk for a long time that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could be used for organizational work in South India. He can be replaced by the current Industry and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri may also lose the ministry due to age. Former Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das is being considered for the Cabinet. Currently he is serving as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. He may be given the charge of Finance or Defense Minister.

One of the reasons for dropping a relatively large number of ministers in the upcoming reshuffle is the BJP’s new alliance. Raghav Chadha, one of the 10 Aam Aadmi Party MPs who joined the BJP in the Rajya Sabha, is expected to be inducted into the cabinet. In Maharashtra, six MPs defected from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and joined Eknath Sinha’s party. As a result, there has been a demand to keep one more person from the Sinha group in the cabinet. The BJP is also thinking of giving a place in the cabinet to MPs who have left the Trinamool Congress.

Meanwhile, opposition parties including the Congress have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NIT scam. However, BJP sources said the party has no plans to remove him from the cabinet because of this. However, the proposal to change the chief minister in Odisha is under the consideration of the BJP top leadership. The top leadership is not satisfied with the current Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s performance. Dharmendra Pradhan can become the new Chief Minister if Majhi is removed.