New Delhi: A major Union Cabinet expansion is all set to take place on Tuesday, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves on four-nation tour on July 6, according to media reports.
The expansion is likely to take place at 11 am tomorrow that is likely to see major changes in portfolios.
Principal spokesperson of the government Frank Norhona tweeted that 'Cabinet expansion' will take place tomorrow at 11 am.
Cabinet expansion tomorrow at 11 a.m.
— Frank Noronha (@DG_PIB) July 4, 2016
Shiv Sena's Anil Desai, RPI's Ramdas Bandu Athawale, BJP national vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, BJP MP from Saharanpur Raghav Lakhanpal, Uttar Pradesh's Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, BJP MP from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal, Gujarat BJP leader Purushottam Rupala, BJP MP from Darjeeling SS Ahluwalia and BJP MP from Almora Ajay Tamta will be inducted into the Cabinet, according to reports.
Dr Sanjeev Balyan, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and BJP MP from Muzaffarnagar may get promotion, added the report.
MoS Social Justice Vijay Sampla and MoS Chemical and Fertilisers Nihal Chand will face axe from Modi's Cabinet.
A report stated that high-level meet has been scheduled to take place at BJP headquarter in the national capital today ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle. The meet will be attended by party top brass including BJP party chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, will meet party president to discuss the Cabint expansion. Last week, Fadnavis had said that the state Cabinet expansion would be held before the Monsoon session and immediately after the expansion of the Union Cabinet.
The Prime Minister has been holding consultations on the Cabinet reshuffle with senior party colleagues including BJP chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
As per the reports, there is a likelihood of smaller parties getting a berth during the cabinet expansion. There were talks of cabinet expansion for the past several months amid speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could induct new faces from Uttar Pradesh which is going to polls next year.
There is also a vacancy in the Council of Ministers after Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal became the Chief Minister of Assam. A berth is also vacant for ally Shiv Sena.
Sources state that two new faces from Uttar Pradesh are likely to be inducted. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and State Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbabs Naqvi are set to be promoted.
No changes are indicated at the North and South block and the top four portfolios-home, finance, external affairs and defence-are unlikely to be touched.
The last cabinet expansion had taken place in November 2014.
(With ANI inputs)
