Names of Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia top list as buzz of Cabinet rejig grows

(This story originally appeared in on Jun 30, 2021)

With the monsoon session of Parliament likely to open on July 19 and wrap up by August 13, even while no official dates have been announced, political circles are abuzz with talks of a reshuffle in the Narendra Modi cabinet, before BJP gets busy with a slew of assembly elections coming up next year, including in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, who stepped aside to make way for Himanta Biswa Sarma after BJP won a second term in the state, is likely to be rewarded with a ministerial post at the Centre for his “sacrifice”, according to sources close to him. Sonowal met Modi and home minister Amit Shah last week on the issue, it is learnt. Also, with Sarma in charge in the state, BJP has to accommodate a senior leader like Sonowal in an appropriate position outside it, to ensure there is no internal friction within the party in Assam. Sonowal could be brought into RS to replace Bodoland People’s Front leader Biswajit Daimary, who moved to the state as Speaker of the assembly in May.

While a whole list of names is doing the rounds for new inductions, former Congress leader from MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was given a RS berth, is on the top. With BJP preparing for UP elections next year, the possibility of new faces from the state being inducted seems to be high. Bihar, where the NDA returned to office last year, is also on the list of states to be included.