Minor reshuffle of Modi Cabinet likely

Not only the BJP but key bureaucrats are also known to have hinted to the top leadership of the need to expand the Cabinet. Archis Mohan reports

The reshuffle of Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearers' responsibilities by party president Amit Shah on Friday could be a precursor to a minor expansion of the Cabinet to buttress its talent pool in the next few weeks, according to sources.

Not only the party but key bureaucrats are also known to have hinted to the top leadership of the need to expand the Cabinet.

Currently, several ministers are handling more than one portfolio. While the leadership is said to be softening on its earlier stand that no 'outsiders' would be inducted in the council of ministers, it is unlikely to relent on the dynasty principle.

Sons or daughters of leaders occupying key positions in the party or the government -- either at the national level or in the states -- will not be inducted into the Cabinet.

The reshuffle in the BJP hierarchy is mostly to do with the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Some of the vacancies among state in-charges have been filled up after leaders such as Rajiv Pratap Rudy were accommodated in the council of ministers in the previous expansion in November.

On Saturday, Shah appointed Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna as the national election officer.

BJP general-secretary Ram Madhav, apart from handling the party's coordination with Peoples Democratic Party-BJP coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir, was made the election incharge along with petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the forthcoming Assam elections. Gopal Agarwal was appointed spokesperson of the party on economic issues.

While the BJP has stressed on the importance of Shah creating an OBC (other backward castes) Morcha in view of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, larger profiles have been entrusted to Rajasthan's Om Prakash Mathur, Kailash Vijayvargiya from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab's Khanna and Haryana's Bhupendra Yadav.

Madhav, who played a crucial role in government formation in Jammu & Kashmir, has now been entrusted with the key state of Assam. The BJP believes it has good prospects of forming its first ever government in Assam in the Assembly polls later this year.

Madhya Pradesh minister Vijayvargiya, who is seen as a potential rival to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will replace Siddharth Nath Singh as the incharge of West Bengal.

The BJP fared miserably in the Bengal civic polls in May. It was during Vijayvargiya's stint as the party incharge of Haryana that BJP formed a government in the state. Singh will assist Vijayvargiya as co-in-charge of Bengal and has been entrusted with Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, Mathur, a rival of Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, continues to be the incharge of the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh as the BJP prepares for the 2017 Assembly polls.

Shah appointed five co-incharges to help Mathur with his work in the state. Last month, Mathur was appointed the national vice-president.

Yadav, the in-charge of Bihar, will now be assisted by C R Patil and Pawan Sharma. Union minister Ananth Kumar has also been asked to oversee the Bihar Assembly polls preparations.

Some who were out in the cold for the past few years and have made a comeback are youth leader P Muralidhar, now appointed incharge of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and Shyam Jaju, who will handle Delhi.

BJP MP from Mumbai Poonam Mahajan has been divested from her responsibilities of handling Daman Diu, but remains in-charge of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the BJP said the creation of the OBC Morcha was a recognition of the impact of these castes on Indian socio-economic and political life, particularly in the northern states.

It said a large numbers of OBCs enrolled as members of the party during its recent membership drive.