Following Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation amid escalating NEET paper leak protests, Cabinet reshuffle buzz has intensified. Speculation is mounting over whether Nirmala Sitharaman will be moved to head the Education Ministry.
Earlier, there were speculations regarding the departure of Nirmala Sitharaman from the Finance Ministry.
Amid an ongoing national crisis, youth protests at Jantar Mantar, and parliamentary standoffs over the massive NEET-UG paper leak scandal, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan faced immense pressure to step down. Speculation had mounted that the Prime Minister would use an impending Cabinet reshuffle to replace him or shift his portfolio as a signal of public accountability.
There were also indications that ministers Pradhan and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav would return to the organisation and former minister Anurag Thakur would return.
With the CJP's escalating Jantar Mantar protests forcing Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, questions mount over his political future. The focus now shifts to whether the leader will be reassigned to central party work or sent back to steer the BJP's strategy in his native Odisha.
With Nirmala Sitharaman reportedly stepping down, rumours are circulating about whether Shaktikanta Das will be considered for the post of Finance Minister. A trusted advisor to Modi, Das is widely regarded as a financial management expert. The name of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is also doing the rounds.
Speculative media reports also indicated that Amit Shah will become the Deputy Prime Minister. There were also indications that Raghav Chadha, who recently joined from AAP, will become a minister as well.
