New ministers are likely to be added to the cabinet before the monsoon session begins, said sources.
Highlights
- MoS Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan may get cabinet rank: Sources
- Few vacancies to be filled; junior ministers for poll-bound states likely
- Changes likely to be announced before July 6 when PM leaves for Africa
Before the Parliament meets on July 18 for the monsoon session, new ministers are likely to be added to the cabinet and some may be given an upgrade, government sources said today.
Ministers of State Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan may be promoted to cabinet rank. Mr Goyal's shift to a more high profile ministry has been speculated upon for months.
A few vacancies are likely to be filled. Sarabananda Sonowal moved to Chief Minister of Assam; Raosaheb Patil Danve resigned after he was appointed president of the BJP in Maharashtra. Junior ministers are to be added for states headed soon for elections like Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Sources say some ministers may swap departments.
Law Minister Sadananda Gowda, whose performance is believed to be seen in the government as below par, may gain a powerful minister of state who will "assist" him.
The PM's council of ministers cannot exceed 82 members; currently, it has 66 members including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A dozen cabinet ministers are from Uttar Pradesh, which votes next year. The result from India's most populous state will be used to measure the likely result of the next general election in 2019.
Discussions on the cabinet are expected this evening in a meeting between the PM, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP President Amit Shah, said government sources who asked not to be named.
Changes to the cabinet are likely to be announced before July 6, when the Prime Minister leaves for Africa.