Delhi: A total of 19 new ministers are likely to be inducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the expansion of the Union Council of Ministers takes place on Tuesday, as per media reports.
Reports also said that some Dalit faces may get a call. On the other hand, out of the 19, some could get Independent charge.
In the expansion, the second since PM Modi took over in May, 2014 new faces like Anupriya Patel, an OBC Lok Sabha member of ally Apna Dal in Uttar Pradesh, besides BJP MPs S S Ahluwalia (West Bengal) and Purshottam Rupala, a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, may be inducted.
Krishna Raj, a Dalit woman MP from Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Nath Pandey, a Brahmin face in the state, Ajay Tamta, a dalit MP from Uttarakhand, which also goes to polls next year, could also figure in the list of probables.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, a Dalit BJP MP from Rajasthan, Ramdas Athawale, another Dalit leader and RPI MP from Maharashtra, can get ministerial berths besides Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, who is also from Maharashtra, and Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat.
The names of Rajya Sabha MPs Vijay Goel, MJ Akbar, Anil Madhav Dave and PP Chaudhary, Lok Sabha member from Rajasthan, have also been doing the rounds as possible inductions, as per PTI.
Faggan Singh Kulhaste, who was embroiled in the cash-for-votes scam during the UPA-1 rule, CR Chaudhary(Gujarat), Jasvantsinh Bhabhor(Gujarat) Rajen Gohain(Assam) and Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi(Karnataka) may also likely to be inducted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Monday night quoted as saying that tomorrow's expansion of his ministry will reflect "budget focus and priorities".
PM Modi, who met a group of journalists here, talked about various other issues, including the Dhaka carnage with regard to which he pressed the need for the world to unite to fight against terrorism.
During the interaction, he referred to the expansion of his Council of Ministers tomorrow and said it is "reflect the budget focus and priorities", according to one of those present.
(With PTI inputs)
