Amidst widespread speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly planning a Cabinet reshuffle possibly for Sunday or Monday, with a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu fueling these rumors. Potential changes include Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan facing scrutiny over the NEET exam leak, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri potentially being replaced by a Sikh leader from Punjab to boost representation ahead of state elections, and shifts within the portfolios of Nirmala Sitharaman and Nitin Gadkari. Notably, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das are being discussed as possible new entrants, while a group of twenty rebel MPs from West Bengal who recently aligned with the NDA might also seek cabinet berths, though their recent affiliation with an obscure party could complicate their inclusion.

Amidst widespread speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly planning a Cabinet reshuffle possibly for Sunday or Monday, with a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu fueling these rumors. Potential changes include Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan facing scrutiny over the NEET exam leak, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri potentially being replaced by a Sikh leader from Punjab to boost representation ahead of state elections, and shifts within the portfolios of Nirmala Sitharaman and Nitin Gadkari. Notably, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das are being discussed as possible new entrants, while a group of twenty rebel MPs from West Bengal who recently aligned with the NDA might also seek cabinet berths, though their recent affiliation with an obscure party could complicate their inclusion.

Amidst widespread speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly planning a Cabinet reshuffle possibly for Sunday or Monday, with a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu fueling these rumors. Potential changes include Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan facing scrutiny over the NEET exam leak, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri potentially being replaced by a Sikh leader from Punjab to boost representation ahead of state elections, and shifts within the portfolios of Nirmala Sitharaman and Nitin Gadkari. Notably, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das are being discussed as possible new entrants, while a group of twenty rebel MPs from West Bengal who recently aligned with the NDA might also seek cabinet berths, though their recent affiliation with an obscure party could complicate their inclusion.

Amid rumours of an impending Cabinet reshuffle, reports hint that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make changes to his council of ministers on either Sunday or Monday. Though there is no official confirmation yet, political circles are abuzz with rumours of a reshuffle as Modi met with President Draupadi Murmu last week.

There are speculations that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan could face action after being embroiled in controversy over the NEET question paper leak.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri could be replaced by a Sikh or a leader from Punjab, and Raghav Chadda’s name is doing the rounds. The state could also get more representation in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. Since Narendra Modi  became Prime Minister, Punjab has had limited representation in the Union Cabinet. After 2014, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal became the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries. She resigned in 2020 in protest against the agricultural laws. Furthermore, the BJP's Som Prakash became a minister at the Centre. He served from 2019 to 2024. He was succeeded by Ravneet Singh Bittu, whose Rajya Sabha membership has not been revoked.

The departments of Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari and Manohar Lal Khattar can also be changed. JD(U) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could also join the Cabinet.

Former RBI Governor and former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Shaktikanta Das, is being discussed as a possible full Cabinet minister, while Nirmala Sitharaman is reportedly likely to be shifted to the Human Resource Development portfolio.

New faces in the Cabinet could include  Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. It was Shrikant who brought six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to the NDA fold. Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, who left the TMC, could also be included.

Speculations are that the 20 rebel MPs, who broke away from TMC in West Bengal, could stake a claim for a Cabinet berth. They had already announced their support for the NDA, and at present, they constitute the second-largest constituent party in the NDA after the BJP. The smaller TDP and JDU have one cabinet minister and one minister of state each, and the new MPs could demand the same.

However, it is to be seen whether the BJP takes the bait, considering that it seeks to distance itself from this faction. Instead of merging with the BJP, the MPs chose to merge with an obscure party, the NCPI.

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