Cabinet expansion: Speculation rife over Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayan Rane and Sarbananda Sonowal’s possible induction

BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia (File image)

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Sarbananda Sonowal, Narayan Rane and Jyotiraditya Scindia are reportedly headed to Delhi following a renewed buzz over a cabinet expansion, the first such exercise after the Modi government was voted back to power in 2019.

The biggest hint came on July 6 when President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot as the governor of Karnataka. Besides serving as the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Gehlot was also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. As many as eight states got new governors on July 6.

Read: Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot made Karnataka Governor amid Cabinet reshuffle buzz

Here are some of the names doing the rounds for a  place in the Modi cabinet:

Sarbananda Sonowal

For weeks, it was being reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda and senior members of the Cabinet, as well as the ruling alliance, were discussing possible changes to the Council of Ministers.

Sonowal, who served as the chief minister of Assam between 2016 and May 2021, is widely believed to get a berth in the Union Cabinet. He made way for Himanta Biswa Sarma after BJP retained power in Assam in the recent assembly election. He served as the minister of youth affairs and sports in the first Narendra Modi cabinet between 2014 and 2016 before returning to Assam as the chief minister. He was also the minister for entrepreneurship and skill development for a brief period in 2014.

Jyotiraditya Scindia

His induction, or not, will be closely watched. News reports have suggested that Scindia, whose defection along with around two dozen members of legislative assembly (MLAs) from the Congress in 2020 led to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government collapse in Madhya Pradesh, would be rewarded with a cabinet berth.

Scindia, the grandson of BJP co-founder Vijaya Raje Scindia, served as the minister of state (independent charge) for power between 2012 and 2014 in the second Manmohan Singh cabinet.

Narayan Rane

Rajya Sabha member and former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who formally joined the BJP in 2019, is also likely to get a place in the cabinet, reports have said.

Rane was with the Shiv Sena before switching sides to the Congress and even formed short-lived Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha in 2017. While Rane has held multiple portfolios in the Maharashtra government in the past, he never made it to the Union Cabinet.

None of the three have commented on the developments, so far.

Others in the fray

Sources also told CNN-News18 that Lallan Singh and RCP Sinha, front runners for the cabinet from the Janata Dal (United) quota, reached Delhi on July 6 morning. JD(U) had decided to not take up cabinet positions in 2019.

The new ministers are likely to be sworn in this week, reports have said.

This will the first rejig of the Modi’s second council of ministers. In his first stint as the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi reshuffled his ministerial team at least thrice between 2014 and 2019.

It is likely that Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, which go to the polls in 2022, will be represented in the new team. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls could also be a factor in the exercise.

BJP ally Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel, who was the minister of state for health and family welfare between 2016 and 2019, may get a cabinet slot again.

The demise of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, and Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiv Sena’s exit from the ruling National Democratic Alliance have created several ministerial slots. Many ministers have been left juggling multiple portfolios.

There are 53 ministers in the Cabinet, which can have a maximum of 81 members. Modi can induct 28 new faces, including some from West Bengal, if he wants.