6 reasons why the Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre has more to it than what meets the eye
- At least 10 ministers may be dropped from the present Cabinet and asked to do party work.
- Inside sources say that Suresh Prabhu may be shifted to environment and forest.
- The shaky grounds of Tamil Nadu's political scenario could be a determining factor in the Cabinet reshuffle.
FollowPrime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce a new set of ministers in the Cabinet before the 2019 elections. According to inside sources, at least 10 ministers may be dropped and asked to do party work while some new faces may be seen who are expected to add to the Centre's image of being a secular, all inclusive body.
Certainly, there are reasons why the reshuffle is being done, which, in the near future will help the party in building a majority and re-instating itself at the Centre. So, here's exploring the five measures that the Centre may take to choose its members in the Cabinet:
To maintain regional parity: In comparison to Bihar (7), Uttar Pradesh (14) has more representation at the Centre. With elections already held in these Hindi heartlands, the Centre may as well choose to bring in representation from other states by doing away with some of the members from UP. It, therefore, does not come as a surprise when Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Giriraj Singh are on their way to induct JD(U) nominees.
Performance: This seems to be the top priority of the government. And keeping the sanctity of the party's promises, ministers have offered to quit their posts based on performances. For instance, Suresh Prabhu has offered to step down, owing to the series of Railway accidents that have marred the Indian Railways in the last few days. Inside sources say that he may be shifted to environment and forest. Manohar Lal Khattar, the CM of Haryana too has offered to put down his papers due to the recent unrest over the Dera chief's arrest.
To induct fresh faces from poll-bound states: States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh are due for elections next year. If the Cabinet has representatives from these states, chances are that BJP will get a foothold here. Having said that, it can also be ascertained that Rajasthan may have significant representatives in the Cabinet given the support the state ha given BJP in all its elections. The Modi government has no Cabnet minister from Rajasthan, despite the BJP winning all 25 states in the state.
Parity in the caste quotient: The Bawana by-poll has been an eye opener for BJP. It has forced the party to reconsider its Jat base in Delhi. BJP, till date, has been experimenting with a non-Jat CM in Haryana whereas the region, apart from Sikar, Barmer in Rajasthan have considerable Jat population with no representative of their own.
Power play: The Cabinet may also witness introduction of a few AIADMK leaders to set the base for BJP's entry into Tamil Nadu's political scenario. Given the political crisis that the state is going through, the Cabinet reshuffle could be the strike that could mould the hot iron in favour of BJP.Â
The JD(U) bond: BJP is taking special interest in the politics of Bihar. Now, with Nitish Kumar presumably on their side, BJP will get a greater incision into the political scenario of the state. Interestingly, with a few more Dalit, Muslim and OBC representatives in the Centre, BP can have an edge over its allied-opposition.
Â
