(Photo) Curtesy : Deccan Chronicle
NEW DELHI: A Union cabinet reshuffle before the Monsoon Session of Parliament appears unlikely, with the government prioritising key legislation over ministerial changes.
The Monsoon Session is likely to begin in the third week of July, most likely from July 20.
Sources indicate that the cabinet expansion may instead take place in September-October.
Legislative Priority Over Reshuffle
The government’s focus is firmly on passing crucial bills, including those related to delimitation and One Nation One Election, during the upcoming session. A reshuffle before the session could upset leaders likely to be excluded.
With the government lacking a two-thirds majority in either House, it may not want to risk discontent ahead of key votes. The possibility of a post-session expansion also gives the government a bargaining chip to secure the required numbers.
Limited Window For Changes
The Prime Minister’s schedule leaves little room for a reshuffle before the session begins. President Droupadi Murmu is on a two-day tour of Andhra Pradesh and will return on the evening of July 1.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be engaged with the Japan PM’s visit to India from July 1 to July 3.
On July 4, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Rajasthan.
From July 6 to July 11, he will be on a tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.
This leaves only July 5 available before the Monsoon Session.
Even if an expansion is done before July 20, new ministers would have limited time to prepare for the session.
However, precedent exists for last-minute changes.
On July 7, 2021, a major cabinet reshuffle in Modi 2.0 was carried out just before the Parliament session.
Twelve senior ministers, including Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar, were dropped and 36 new ministers were inducted.
So far, four cabinet expansions have taken place in the last 12 years.
November 2014: 21 new ministers inducted.
July 2016: 19 new ministers inducted, 5 dropped.
September 2017: 9 new ministers inducted, 4 promoted, 6 dropped.
July 2021: 36 new ministers inducted, 12 dropped.
Possible Vacancies
A few vacancies have opened up in the cabinet. George Kurien has resigned as MoS Minority Affairs after his Rajya Sabha tenure ended. Though Ravneet Singh Bittu is continuing as a Union Minister despite not being a member of either House. His continuation is linked to the upcoming Punjab election.
