The Union Cabinet could witness a major reshuffle with Amit Shah likely to be elevated to the post of Deputy Prime Minister, a news report said.
The reshuffle is likely to take place before the monsoon session with the Punjab elections in mind. The brains behind the successful "Operation Tiger" are also expected to be rewarded in the process, Marathi media reports claimed.
Shrikant Shinde could be inducted into the Union Cabinet along with Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay 'Bandu' Jadhav as a mark of recognition for the Shiv Sena (Shinde) group's efforts to strengthen the NDA, TV9 Marathi said in a report. Shrikant Shinde, Kalyan MP and son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is said to have masterminded "Operation Tiger" in Maharashtra, which resulted in six MPs leaving Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) for the NDA-aligned rival faction.
The plan was revealed to just a few people within the Shiv Sena, including two ministers of the Maharashtra government. The most crucial phase of the operation was on June 16, when the MPs arrived in Delhi via private planes booked by Shrikant. They were accommodated in a hotel in Noida, and the very next day, they met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and presented him with a resolution signed by the rebel MPs.
Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who is also from Maharashtra, could see more responsibilities handed to him, the report said.
There could be changes at the helm of the railway and finance ministries ahead of the monsoon session, the reports said. However, the most glamorous promotion should be handed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who could become the Deputy Prime Minister. BJP president Nitin Naveen is holding marathon meetings in this regard, TV9 Marathi claimed.
Raghav Chadha, who recently quit AAP to join the BJP ranks, may also get a ministerial berth as the Punjab assembly polls loom. The Punjab assembly elections are coming up, and Raghav Chadha is seen as an important face of the BJP in the state following his switch.
